Pride
by StarvingLunatic
Summary: Femslash. Sequel to Spotted. Felina and Callie are back for the last story in the Lioness trilogy. It's a year after the events in Spotted and they're trying to work out their places in the city now. They seemed fairly settled until Mayor Manx gets recalled and Felina comes up with the brilliant idea that Callie should run for mayor.
1. Successful

I don't own these characters.

A/N: This is the sequel to Spotted and the last planned story in the Lioness trilogy. You should definitely read Lioness and Spotted before you read this. If only to keep up with the cultural things I've made up for this universe.

This story is unbeta'ed, so there will probably be several typos. Please, excuse them and I apologize in advance for them.

Also, excuse anything that seems OoC. It's still been a long time since I've watched the Swat Kats.

Please, enjoy. If you want to keep up with updates for this, check out my profile or my Facebook page (there's a link on my profile).

Pride

1: Successful

Callie sighed as she flopped down into a booth at the high-end bar. It was one of the few places that would serve her without an argument. A year later and Megakat City had yet to forget she was a lioness and for some reason kats seemed to think it was their business. So, during daylight hours, many businesses, even lion owned ones, would fight about letting her in.

As soon as she was down on the plump maroon cushion, Rita Runt, a fellow attorney, fighter for the downtrodden, and closeted lioness, smiled at her. Callie smiled back and Rita slid a flute of cream to her. Callie tipped her head and the glass to Rita.

"Did Mel call you? Cabot thinks the world stands still for him," Rita said, scratching underneath her chin. She had an arm slung over the booth, resting on her suit jacket.

Callie rolled her eyes. "You know Mel will come up with what he comes up with." She would not mind a moment on her own, as much as her own could be with Rita right there anyway. Rita would appreciate the silence for a while.

Callie took a sip of the cream and sighed as it settled in her stomach. It was stronger than her usual fair and thicker, but Rita had thing for rich creams. It could be worse. If Nia showed up, they'd have to switch to blood and she might never make it home.

"So, you're still on this roll, huh?" Rita asked.

Callie shrugged. "What else can I do?"

The response drew a chuckle out of Rita. "I know they hate seeing you come into court now."

Callie had no doubt that was true, but they probably hated seeing her when she first started just because she was a lioness. Well, screw them. Leaning back, she took another sip of her cream and let her eyes drift around the bar. There were kats mixing, mingling, drinking, and laughing so carefree, like this city did not have problems. _There are so many problems and I knew that before fighting out how prejudice kats can be_.

"If they don't want to see me anymore, they need to stop trying to pass all of these discriminating laws or they need to stop trying to discriminate when it's already clearly illegal," Callie said.

"Maybe they actually like seeing you and that's why they keep trying stuff. The lawsuits alone have to be bankrupting the city," Rita replied.

Callie shrugged her shoulders again. She had spent the last year back in the courtroom, practicing law with sharp precision. She took up for any and all lions in the city who found themselves being discriminated in some form. Ever since she and Felina had been shoved into the public eye, people had been looking a little closer at each other to figure out if a kat was a lion or a lioness. Between the firings, denial into places, refusal to rent or sell property, and other things, she was swamped with work.

One of the saddest things about it was that a lot of kats who were accused were not lions or lioness. They just happened to be a little too much of the opposite sex for someone dealing with them. The city was too paranoid. Hell, the whole colony was the same now, which was thanks to Megakat City.

Felina and Callie were not the only out lionesses now. Over the year about a dozen of so well known kats had come out the closet. They were all decent people, trying to show there was nothing wrong with or reason to fear from lions. Callie was not sure how well it was working, but they were out and they were proud. Hopefully, more would follow. And, hopefully, kats would accept they all just kats and sexuality did not determine morals.

"How could you start this little celebration without me?" Mel asked as he rushed over, moving himself into the booth right next to Callie. He gave her a one-armed hug as he set his briefcase down under the table.

"Try getting here on time. She told us when she'd be out of court," Rita pointed out.

Mel waved her off, the cuff of his tan suit shifting over his obsidian wrist. Rita rolled her green eyes. Callie chuckled a bit and shook her head at their typical antics.

"Did you at least order for me?" Mel asked.

Rita snorted. "So the waiter could think I'm some old gib? Of course not." She waved him off as if he was insignificant.

Callie held in a laugh while Mel growled and his golden eyes stared daggers at Rita. It was funny to watch them go back and forth. They reminded her of siblings.

Mel waved a waiter over and ordered. He turned his attention back to Callie. "So, more hate mail coming your way?"

"Of course more hate mail coming my way. I get hate mail just for waking up in the morning," Callie commented. She sipped her drink. She did not care about the hate mail. It was all talk. Early on, a few fools tried to come up to her in public and Felina had flattened them in no time. The toughest of kats had learned to threaten her from a distance.

"So, what cause did we champion today?" Mel asked as he undid the button on his suit jacket. He propped his arm up on the back of the booth just like Rita. "Was this the case with the post office trying to fire ten suspected lions?"

"No, that one's next week. This week was the she-kat who was denied an apartment due to the realtor thinkings she was a lioness. I love how in both of those case, none of these kats are actually lions," Callie sniffed.

Rita waved her off. "They think lions and lionesses are everywhere."

"Well, they're not wrong," Mel pointed out with a laugh.

This was true, but people looked at it as a plague more than anything else. She often wondered what people who do if or when they found out the kid who bagged their groceries was a lion or their kitten's first grade teacher was a lioness. Would they continue to think all lions and lionesses were evil or would they start to understand sexuality did not make or break who someone was? She did not have a lot of faith they would err on the side of understanding right now.

"It amazes me how often people try to discriminate here after you tore apart so many of those half-assed city laws that were passed," Rita commented.

"Kats know the city will keep backing them for the moment," Callie replied. The city had passed several crazy laws in the time finding out the former deputy mayor and their beloved Enforcer hero were lionesses and in a relationship. They panicked so much that every law that was passed had dozens of loopholes and she tore each one down one by one. She would do this for the rest of her life if she had to.

"Kats are idiots, but I've been saying that for years," Rita said.

"Yes, well, you hate pretty much everyone," Mel pointed out.

"And you're at the top of the list," Rita shot back.

Mel chuckled a little, but did not say anything back. His drink was delivered, but he barely got to taste it before Nia came over. Tawnia Dilan walked around like she ruled the world and dressed the same, but somehow in a simple manner. Callie doubted she ever saw any businessperson carry themselves with as much elegance and dignity as Nia.

Nia greeted them all with hugs and kisses, a custom from her old colony. Callie had not known Nia was from elsewhere until they started hanging out. This was something Nia kept just as secret as she did the fact that she was a lioness. Foreigners were generally viewed with suspicion in Megakat City, especially since foreign businesses start coming in and buying up the city. Domestic business owners had probably helped push those ideas.

"Shall I just order us a bottle?" Nia asked. This was what she did whenever Callie or Rita won a case to help keep Megakat City equal as far as laws went or when they won a battle of the underdog.

"Can we try to avoid mixing drinks? We're all on creams and you want to jump right to blood," Mel replied.

"No, I'm on nothing and we need to celebrate. Why should we celebrate with cream over blood? A much richer drink," Nia argued.

"Because unlike you, the rest of us have to actually drive our own cars back. Unless you driver is dropping each of us off and you're arranging for someone to pick up all of our cars," Rita arched a daring brow.

Nia scoffed. "I'm trying very hard to understand what Mira sees in you, but I'm assuming it has to do with the fact that your tongue is otherwise engaged when you're with her."

Rita hissed in Nia's direction, but Nia did not even blink. Instead, she waved over the waiter and ordered an obscenely expensive bottle of blood for the table. Callie silently vowed to have no more than a glass. She would have to go out with Felina later on and she could not be fall down drunk for that.

"So, dear, another win for the good side," Nia commented as she folded her hands in front of her and rested them on the table.

"All she can do is win. I always knew she had the killer instinct," Mel bragged and flashed Callie a smile.

Nia waved him off immediately, her heavy hand making a noise through the air. "Stop trying to take credit for her. You've got your own glory."

"Until he has to step down anyway," Rita said.

Mel arched an eyebrow. "And why would I step down?"

"Eventually, you know as well as we do, one of these lion cases is going to land at your feet. Do you really want to make that decision? Betray the pride for your career?" Rita posed.

Mel waved it off, his massive paw cutting through the air. "You have very little faith in me, my dear. When the day comes for me to chose, I'll be as out as Callie."

Callie wished Mel decided to be as out as her right now. She could understand why he would not, but she really wished more lions and lionesses closer to her were open about themselves, especially her own pride. And this was her pride.

Callie could not pinpoint when these three became her pride, but she told them everything and depended on them in a way she had never been able to depend on her family. They were always there for her with everything. She could call anyone of them at any time and they would be there for her. Hell, one day she called Nia at two in the morning when she and Felina had a fight and Nia talked to her for almost two hours to help her understand it was not the end of the world.

"I doubt any of us will ever be as out as Callie," Nia commented as the waiter returned. Glasses were put down and blood was poured.

"Rather impossible unless someone takes pictures of us straddling our lovers," Rita concurred.

"Can we please not talk about that?" Callie would like to forget her unfortunate outing by former Lieutenant Commander Steele. He had taken something precious to her and perverted it like the bastard he was. He thought he tore her down, thought he tore Felina down, and thought had could use them for his own gain. Joke was on him. She was feeling so much better now compared to last year since she was free of City Hall and Felina was studying for the captain's exam to show the Enforcers she was not going anywhere.

Felina would very soon be Captain Feral, the first female captain in Enforcer history. Callie wondered how the Enforcers would handle that. _Hell, how will the city handle that?_

"Are you still getting action like that, dear?" Nia asked with a smirk.

Callie snorted. "I'm not telling you that." Sex talk was saved for Rita since she was closer to Callie's age. Telling Nia about her sex life was a little weird because she was so much older than Callie. Not to mention, Nia was someone Felina once chased after.

Rita sucked her teeth. "She is. More than the rest of us. Felina's stamina is disgusting."

Mel chuckled. "You sound jealous, Rita. Why not just go grab you a butch lioness and stop trying to play one in your own relationship?"

Rita glared at him, but she did not really have a comeback. Rita was with a fashionista she-kat, Mirage Gypt, better known as Mira. Mira was a scary female, take charge, and refused to be pushed around. She could keep up with a cynic like Rita, but neither of them could be classified as a "butch" lioness, physically speaking anyway.

"Are we not supposed to be celebrating a victory for us all thanks to Callie? May we do that?" Nia asked as she raised her glass.

Rita and Mel glared at each other just for the hell of it and reached for a glass of blood. Mel eased the last glass over to Callie. They all raised their glasses.

"May Callie continue to blaze a fiery trail to make the world safe and equal for us all," Nia said and they clinked glasses. "Callie, you continue to be an amazing kat and I'm honored to know you and to be pride with you."

"I'm honored to be in a pride with all of you," Callie said.

Mel and Rita scoffed, tired of hearing her say this. They did not even bother to make fun of her anymore when she did it. Still, she meant it. She had never had friends like this. The closest were Jake and Chance and she would never consider those two family.

"So, what's the next fight?" Mel asked as he swirled the blood in the glass. This was a habit he definitely picked up from Nia.

Callie went through her schedule for the next couple of weeks. She had yet to find herself with a shortage of cases. The city still seemed to be in some sort of lion panic, which she had hoped would die down as time went by. Her hype and Felina's hype had died down some, but this idea of flushing out and getting rid of lions was alive and well. It caused a lot of grief all over the city for people who were just trying to live their lives.

"Well, continue to fight the good fight. You're making the world safer for lions," Nia said.

Callie was not so sure about that. Drawing so much attention to the fact that lions existed seemed to put them all in danger. It was safer to hide in the shadows than for kats to hunt for them everywhere. But, it wasn't right.

They shouldn't have to hide because people shouldn't hate them just for who they loved. This was why she fought. They should be treated equally because no matter what they were still kats. Who they loved should not be considered a scandal of any kind.

"I was considering coming out," Nia said after three tumblers of blood. Callie continued to nurse her first. She still had no desire to go home drunk, even though her pride wanted her to celebrate by drinking more.

"Why?" Mel asked, on his second drink.

"To show we are everywhere and to give support to the others out there who are scared," Nia replied.

"What about your companies? This isn't good for your business," Rita said.

"My PR people would know how to spin it. If not, they're fired. They've managed to deflect all of the hatred I got for being foreign. Besides, it's not like I'm really in the closet," Nia pointed out.

"It's really your decision. You can remain how you are or control the situation as best you can in allowing people into your personal life," Callie replied.

With a raised eyebrow, Nia frowned. "Allowing people into my personal life?"

"Coming out allows people to come in. Hell, people seem to take it as an invite," Callie replied. This bothered her the most with being forced out of the closet.

Kats seemed to think they were entitled to an opinion on her relationship now that she was out. Clients even tried to give her advice. Random kats approached her, wanting to know why she was with Felina, if Felina was worth everything, and a million other things that was not their business. Felina was worth everything, all the time.

"I would suggest you keep your personal life as yours for the moment. Yes, coming out does show support for other lions and lionesses out there. You also set a great example for how we're not degenerates or dangerous, but it's dangerous to you. It's dangerous if you ever decide to settle down with one of those lionesses you like to rotate from your bed," Callie said with a smirk.

Nia gave her a playful scowl. "You're the expert here, so I'll take your advice for the moment."

Callie chuckled a little, even though it was very dangerous to be out. A few of dozen open lions or lionesses were out for the reasons Nia wanted to come out, but others were out because they had been caught by the wrong people and hospitalized because of it. Violence against lions was up from nothing to ridiculous amounts. There were "pack attacks," gangs of kats hunting for lions to harass, beat, and sometimes kill.

Callie had actually worked some of these cases, working to make the punishment severe for looking to destroy a kat based solely on their sexuality. Too many of the kats involved in these pack attacks got off lightly, mostly acting like the lions deserved it and too often the judges seemed to agree, being as lenient as the law allowed. Most lions made sure to be out with their prides now.

"We should work on normalizing lions, though," Nia said.

Mel tipped his glass to her. "I agree with that."

"It's your decision, Nia. I'm sure you can beat back any opposition that comes your way," Callie replied. Nia was just that type of kat, which was she was able to keep her late husband's business empire running and how she could expand it despite how hard the business world was on females.

With a shake of her hand, Nia waved that off. "I'm not worried about the opposition so much. It's this idea of allowing people into my personal life. I don't want people harassing my son and his family. They know of me, but I don't want the press in my kittens' faces. I don't want them subjected to violence, but this is how the other side wins."

Rita nodded. "This is also true."

"It sounds like something to discuss with your son and his family," Mel said.

"Yes, I suppose, but this is why I'm discussing it with you," Nia pointed out.

Callie smiled a little. Despite all of the hardships of the year, this was one of the best things she got from being a lioness. This pride, this family. People who believed in her and believed in her opinion.

"Talk it over with your son. You know I'm with you if you decide to come out," Callie pointed out.

Callie was possibly the only one of them who could be there for them. Mel would undoubtedly lose his job and Rita would lose dozens of clients if she came out. Callie wondered if there would ever be a time for Mel to safely come out and keep his job. Rita would lose clients no matter what because kats were prejudice.

"Some day. Some day." Mel reached over and patted Nia on the forearm.

Nia nodded slightly. Callie hoped this was true. One day, they would all be able to just be treated as normal kats. For now, though, there were tons of work to be done and a little more celebrating to do.

"I should get home," Callie said. Especially before they talked her into more drinking.

"No, stay. You've only had one and this was such an important case," Nia insisted. It was now against the law to fire a city employee over the suspicions of their sexuality thanks to Callie.

With a chuckle, Callie wiggled her eyebrows. "Yes, but I need to be somewhat coherent when I make it home or I just get put to bed without any of the fun stuff."

Her pride laughed, but they let her go after long goodbyes. She made her way home — to Felina's apartment. Well, their apartment now, Felina insisted. Callie gave up her condo only weeks after being outed by Steele. There were several reasons why. One of the biggest was because the place haunted her now. It was in her condo those horrible pictures had been taken, pictures to ruin her life, ruin Felina's life, and make it seem like there was something wrong with their relationship.

Beyond that, her own neighbors had protested on her lawn. Then, there was the fact that her neighbors' property had been damaged from kats trying to get to her. She would not have cared if it was only the neighbors who actually protested her, but there were some kind kats who had been nice and supportive. They were in danger because of her.

Felina's apartment was a little different. There might be a little graffiti on the door, but kats seemed very reluctant to go after an Enforcer, an Enforcer whose uncle was the commander of all Enforcers. Added to that, Felina had plenty of support from military friends and some Enforcers. A couple of knuckleheads had tried Felina and it never ended well. She beat up her fair share of bigots and friends of hers beat up even more.

"Honey, I'm home," Callie called as she opened the apartment door. She heard a grunt and knew already Felina was working out.

"Hey, kit," Felina replied with another grunt. She was at her heavy bag in the corner of the living room, punching it.

Callie licked her lips at the sight. Felina wore only a sports bra and skimpy shorts. She had her hands wrapped rather than using gloves. There were so many muscles on display and Callie just wanted to plaster herself to Felina at that very moment.

"Spare a moment for your lover, who is dying for your kisses?" Callie teased, even though she was. Drinking blood had this affect on her.

Felina chuckled and she spared Callie a glance. "Dying for kisses? I guess you didn't have enough glasses for your clothes to just fall off, huh?"

Callie snorted through her nose. "I'm not the only kat blood has that effect on."

"Far from it. I'll give you kisses, but anything more will have to wait until after a shower."

Callie shook her head and eased on behind Felina. She pressed herself against Felina's back and nuzzled Felina's back. She was covered in sweat, but smelled so sweet to Callie that she just wanted to let Felina have her way with her.

"You don't need a shower. You smell good enough to eat," Callie remarked.

"No, I'm not letting you do anything to me when I smell like this."

"I like the way you smell and I'm very tempted to tell you to take me to bed and hold my tail over your shoulder."

Felina whimpered and her punch was very off target. The heavy bag knocked into her and she grunted softly. "Shower first, kit."

"No," Callie whined, burying her nose in between Felina's shoulders.

"Yes. I'm dirty. This is not a good sweat."

"Fine, but then, I get to be on top."

Felina growled and turned. She grabbed Callie by the nape of her neck and leaned down for a kiss. Callie sighed against Felina's mouth. There was not enough time in the day for kissing. She whined in protest when Felina pulled away. Felina had the nerve to smack her lips together.

"Rabbit's blood?" Felina asked.

Callie had to laugh and roll her eyes. "Oh, please. You know Nia's taste run finer than that."

"You know I don't know any highbrow drinks."

Callie snorted. That was the understatement of the year. "I am aware. Now, go take your shower so we can celebrate the way I've wanted to since I walked out of that courtroom today."

Felina gave her a smirk that made her melt right there. Felina was walking catnip, more so now that she decided to workout even more. If she walked outside in anything showing off her shoulders and arms, kats stopped and stared with envy in their eyes. Felina was definitely the type to make every she-kat a lionesses.

While Felina showered, Callie made herself busy by cleaning up Felina's workout area. Felina was training now. Mostly because there were bigoted jerks about the city who liked to hurt lions and lionesses, who liked to hurt her. Felina wanted to be able to protect them. Yes, she carried a gun, but she always considered she could be disarmed or she could intimidate someone before things had to come to physical blows.

Once she was done cleaning up, she glanced at the coffee table to see Felina's books for her captain's exam. She had probably been studying before she worked out. Callie went to see if Felina had eaten anything, as she sometimes would work through meals. The sink was clear and the stove was clean, so Felina had just come in and started studying and then worked out for more hours than she should on an empty stomach. Callie shook her head and decided to start on something quick. She needed to eat, too, after all.

"I can take over," Felina said, wrapping her arms around Callie's waist. She pulled Callie from the stove and buried her head in Callie's hair.

A teasing smile conquered Callie's face. "Of the food or me?"

Felina laughed as little, which Callie felt on the top of her skull. "Food for now. You deserve to unwind a little beforehand."

Callie scoffed. "You're kidding, right? I'll be more than a little unwound once you start. But, I will go take a shower and then we can eat. You'll need the energy."

Felina laughed more, but they both knew it was true. Callie went to take a shower and then slipped on one of Felina's shirts. By the time she made her way back into the living room, Felina had their food set up on two plates and a flute of her favorite cream waiting for her. This was the only way to celebrate a courtroom victory as far as she was concerned.

Felina was on the couch, waiting for her. Callie wasted no time easing herself onto Felina's lap, straddling her. Months ago, this would have made her think of those pictures, but she enjoyed this position too much to allow that to ruin it for her. Leaning in, she kissed Felina passionately and moaned as Felina returned it while wrapping strong arms around her. They would get to their food and drinks later.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: meet Felina's pride and Chance and Jake make an appearance in the series.


	2. Take Down

I don't own some of these characters. I do own Mara, Katarina, Blue, and Tabby. The others are not mine at all.

A/N: mature content ahead. Not sure how you feel about female kats getting it on, but if you don't like it, skip the middle of the chapter.

2: Take Down

For some reason, Felina could not see her pride anymore without bringing Callie along. She suspected it had to do with showing off, but also with wanting to keep an eye on Callie. Nothing made her more anxious than whenever she sent Callie to work and she could not watch her to make sure some idiot did not try something stupid. If something happened to Callie, they would need every Enforcer on deck to stop her from slaughtering every single leainaphobe in the city.

So, she entered one of her pride's favorite dens with Callie attached to her hip. She was dressed in her usual torn blue jeans and t-shirt. It had been hard to convince Callie to leave the apartment when she saw her. One of the things that kept her working out harder than ever before, beyond the fact that she wanted to be able to crack heads if necessary was the way Callie looked at her. Callie never failed to want to jump her bones when she caught a glimpse of Felina's body.

And, now that she had finished with the captain's exam and passed, Felina would have more time to work out. The very thought made her tingle, mostly in places that should not tingle at the thought of working out. Callie would love it.

"Deputy Mayor. Captain," the bouncer greeted them as they went by. They never had to wait on lines in any part of the lion community, no matter what. No one ever complained either.

They gave a nod as a greeting. It was a little funny that everyone greeted Callie as "deputy mayor," even though she had been fired over a year ago. They respected Callie more now than ever before, though. She might as well have been the mayor for all lions considering how hard she fought for them, refusing to ever give an inch in any legal battle.

"Drinks first?" Felina proposed, pointing toward the crowded bar. Music from the club pulsed through her and she could not wait for her celebratory dance with Callie. Of course, the one they would have at home would be even better.

"Let's find your pride and then drinks," Callie answered, pushing close to Felina. Possibly to be heard or possibly just to feel Felina.

Felina nodded. Her pride could have easily been Callie's pride as well, but Callie had her own. That was good. Prides were supposed to be forged alone with different kats. No one needed to fight over who got the pride in a breakup and a couple should not complain or brag to the same pride about each other.

"Looking good, Deputy Mayor," Mara called out over the music as she climbed to her feet. Mara was always the one who spotted them first somehow. It might have had something to do with the fact that she was tall and had a good view of everywhere.

"Hey, stop checking out my queen," Felina growled and glared playfully at her pride sister. Mara rolled her emerald eyes.

Of course, Felina would not put it past Mara to check out Callie. Callie was dressed in a black skirt with a blush pink vest and just enough buttons left open for it to be scandalous. Both hugged her body, calling attention to her perfect form. Felina only had a problem when someone took the clothing as an invitation to touch.

"How a bum like you got such a cute queen will forever boggle my mind," Katarina remarked as she climbed to her feet.

Callie gave hugs to Mara and Katarina. Katarina's was longer, as Katarina would always have a special place in Callie's heart for giving them some place to stay during their long hell after their outing. Lastly, Callie turned to hug Blue, the last air force pilot amongst them. When Callie met them all, she expressed she thought Felina, Mara, Katarina, and Blue could have all been blood sisters, as they all had the same look to them.

Callie then exchanged air kisses with the two queens in the pride. First was Penelope, who Callie had not been happy to meet because Penelope had been sitting in Felina's lap at the time they were introduced. Now, Callie understood why Penelope was always pressed so close to her. Felina had not wanted to tell, feeling it was Penny's story, but Penelope did not want to cause any waves in the relationship.

Penelope had unfortunately been raped some years ago by a jackass who did not understand no meant no. Felina had met the poor dear when she was trying to make a report at Enforcer's headquarters and the bastard on duty at the time made it seem like Penelope had just been asking for it. Felina had put Penelope back together as best she could, but she never found the asshole who made Penelope so uncomfortable in her own skin.

Tabitha, also known as Tabby, was last in line. She and Callie were friends, having enough in common to speak with each other whenever everyone else in the pride was engaged with something else. Tabby knew what it was like to be a queen in a field dominated by tomkats, being a fierce stockbroker. Felina was still waiting to one day read in the newspaper that Tabby literally ripped a guy's throat out on the trading floor.

"Okay, before anything, we have to get a celebratory round for kat of the hour," Katarina announced and flagged down a waitress. "We need a pitcher of your best beer for the first female captain in Enforcer history!" She threw an arm around Felina and pulled her close.

The waitress blinked and then smiled at Felina. "First female captain, huh?"

"Hey, hey, hey! Just go get the drinks," Blue growled. "Her mate is sitting right here for fuck's sake."

The waitress squeaked when she noticed Callie. Callie just smiled at her and watched her scurry off. Felina chuckled to herself.

"You want cream instead, kit?" Felina asked, if only to get Callie's attention.

Callie shook her head. "No, no, no. I'm going to have what you guys are having. Cream can wait. Right now, it's your moment."

Felina smiled. They were out to celebrate her passing the captain's exam. She had meant to just tell Callie, so they could celebrate privately first, but their old air force captain, Amelia Thompson, had found out almost as soon as she did. The good captain made sure to tell her pride sisters and, well, now they were celebrating in a decent den. It was fine for now.

After the toast, they all exchanged pleasantries. Eventually, Felina got up to get a new drink herself and some cream for her lady. While waiting, she watched Callie with her pride and smiled. No, this was not the norm, but her pride just went with it. Yes, she had met all of her pride sisters' partners whenever they had them, but they never hung out with the pride like this.

"Hey, Captain, here you go." The bartender put the drinks in front of her and walked off after Felina gave her a nod. She put money in the tip cup. She and Callie rarely paid for anything anymore when they were at a den or some other part of lion/lioness community.

Returning to the table, she gave Callie her cream while she enjoyed her milk beer and jumped into a conversation with Mara, Katarina, and Blue. They were complaining about the stall in work.

"I told you guys to get real jobs," Felina sighed.

"Construction is a real job. There's just a pause in building around the city for some reason," Mara argued.

"I told you three just join the Enforcers. It's a steady paycheck with benefits and a pension. Working with those tomkats can't be much different working with the construction kats," Felina replied.

"It's more like the service than the Enforcers. They rib you at first, but they grow to respect you when they see what you can do. You don't get that with the Enforcers," Blue stated.

Felina wished she could argue that, but she really did not have anything to counter with. The few females in the Enforcers saw discrimination and disrespect every day from a number of different tomkats. But, the ones who had served in the military respected the females, just like in the service.

"If we could get more she-kats to join, things could change," Felina said.

"Easy there, Captain. Don't turn this night of fun into a recruitment video," Katarina joked.

Felina rolled her eyes and glanced over at Callie, just wanting to check on her. She was fully engaged with Tabby while Penny looked on briefly. Penny eased her way over to Felina and tucked in kind of close. Callie did not mind, but Penny still tried to give things some time in case Callie said something. Felina ran her hand through Penny's hair.

"Penny, you know what, we need to work you out of this horrible attachment you have to this bum. Let's go find you a real lioness," Mara declared and practically yanked Penelope out of their booth and into the crowd, knowing Penelope was wary of crowds, even when they were all she-kats.

Rolling her eyes, Katarina scoffed. "Why doesn't she just tell Penny she wants to be the cuddle toy?"

Blue snorted. "When has Mara ever said exactly what she wants?"

"Uh… when she demands we not call her Marguerite?" Felina snickered.

Katarina laughed. "That's so terrible. Her parents really had no idea she'd grow into that." She pointed out to Mara, who was the tallest among them by far and an obvious bodybuilder. She was bulky and so shy around she-kats, it was hilarious.

"Can Mara date Penelope?" Callie asked curiously. Even after a year, Callie still was not completely caught up on lioness culture. She knew that pride was family and dating a pride member would be awkward at best.

"Mara's not truly interested in dating Penny, more protecting Penny. All four of those idiots have a protection streak a mile wide," Tabby replied, motioning to the three former air-kats.

"Hey!" the trio barked.

Callie laughed. "They're of one brain, as well, huh?"

"One mind, one body type. I don't get how they're all living separate lives at this point," Tabby continued.

"Oh, ha, ha, ha," they all deadpanned. They had heard this all before. Hell, they used to hear it in the air force all the time.

Their similarities were probably why they were such a close pride. They had taken to each other almost immediately upon meeting. Of course, Tabby should probably reflect on why it had been the same with her. Honestly, Felina always felt like Tabby was just like them, except wrapped in a queen body.

"Come." Callie put a hand out for Felina. "So, you can stop sulking."

"I'm not sulking," Felina huffed, even though she was certain she was. It was a way to get Callie to drag her onto the dance floor. After all, there was no better time than having Callie pressed against her and moving, even if there were clothes in the way.

Dancing with Callie used to be a surprise, now it was just a delight. Felina had not expected Callie, her prim and proper queen, to move the way she did. It was such a turn on.

They danced until Callie needed water. Felina obliged while Callie returned to their table. This was to be the night, which Felina enjoyed. It was a great way to unwind, especially from the stresses of the day. Stresses both she and Callie had to deal with all the time.

As midnight came and went, Callie made the executive decision that it was time to go home. It might have had something to do with a queen having the nerve to touch Felina's bicep while they were on the dance floor. Felina had just enough beers where she was stupid enough to flex for the queen upon request. Definitely time to go home.

"Don't hurt her too much, Deputy Mayor," Mara called out.

"Oh, you all know Felina will be spanked when she gets home," Katarina remarked.

Felina did not have a chance to retort, especially over the loud music, as they came to the exit. A rush of warm air hit them as they stepped outside, even though summer was on its way out. Callie had her hands around Felina's waist, as if Callie was holding up her up, but was more likely staking her claim. Felina held her close as they made their way to the car.

This was dangerous, of course. If someone who disliked same-sex couples happened by, they might take it upon themselves to do something about Felina and Callie. Felina was not so drunk she would not be able to defend them. She had never been so drunk, actually. She made sure of that the first time they had been attacked while leaving a den. Thankfully, they did not have that problem tonight. They made it to the car unscathed.

"Sweetheart, I need the keys," Callie said, patting on Felina's pockets.

"I can drive," Felina replied.

"Yes, you can, but you won't. You've had quite a bit to drink," Callie pointed out.

"Stop trying to confuse me with the truth."

Callie chuckled. "I think you're the one confusing yourself. Who told you to let that she-kat touch you?"

Felina made a strangled noise and quickly handed over the keys, just to avoid having this discussion. Callie looked smug, like she knew this was the way to win anything they talked about tonight. Felina hoped there would not be much talking for the night. She was not so drunk that she could not please her queen tonight, after all. She had never been so drunk.

-8-8-8-8-

Felina might have actually had a spanking coming her way from the way Callie yanked off her t-shirt when they hit the bedroom. Callie pushed her down to the bed, which she did not mind, especially when Callie crawled into her lap. Callie's lips on hers was not bad either.

"Just to be clear, this is not a reward for bad behavior," Callie said as she pulled away for air.

Felina smiled and nodded. "Understood."

"This is a reward for making history."

"Got it."

"But, because you dared to flex for that queen, I'm on top."

"What?" Felina snapped. No, no, no. That was not how things worked. "I'm definitely not that drunk."

Callie glared at her. "You were drunk enough to display yourself for some random queen, but not drunk enough to display yourself for me?"

Felina sighed. "Sorry."

A small, gentle smile settled on Callie's face. "Besides, haven't you ever wanted to just lie there for me? Let me worship you with every part of me?"

"That sounds nice," Felina accidentally blurted out. There were quiet moments, after Callie collapsed against her, she thought about it. It was not something she should think about, but she did.

Callie gave her a soft kiss. "Let me take care of you. It's all right. This is our relationship, no one else's."

"I know."

"Then, let me take care of you, if only to satisfy your curiosity."

Felina would later claim she was just drunk enough to go along with this. She gave Callie a small nod and Callie pushed her down to the bed. Callie yanked Felina's jeans off as if they offended her and then stepped back. Felina could only wonder what Callie planned as she slowly unbuttoned the couple of buttons on her vest.

Felina pushed herself up to the pillows without taking her eyes off of Callie as she shimmied out of her skirt. And then Callie stalked up her body in a way that made Felina shiver. They met in a passionate kiss that made Felina's blood boil, but her body relax at the same time.

"You know you're the only kat I trust to do this, right?" Felina asked. She did not want anyone else to think she could be treated like a queen.

Callie smiled. "Oh, I know." She kissed Felina's neck. "So, I'm going to make this as special as possible because you are special, Lina."

Before Felina could say anything, Callie's mouth was on the move and made her moan. No, she would never trust any other lover to do this, but Callie would always be different, special. Felina closed her eyes and gave herself over to the heavenly sensation of Callie's lips on her breasts and light caresses on her abdomen.

"You taste so good," Callie whispered. "Thank you so much for giving me this."

Felina managed to open her eyes partially. "No, thank you for being there."

"Nowhere else I'd rather be." Callie attached her mouth to Felina's nipple and Felina purred as the beautiful feel of her tongue.

Slender fingers slid down Felina's stomach, tracing each cut of her abdomen before slipping just below her navel. Felina whined at the teasing feel of Callie's fingers and bucked up for more. Callie snickered around her breast.

"Patience, love," Callie said. "Think of the many nights you teased me."

Felina could not argue that. One of her favorite pastimes involved building Callie up for hours. Callie did not seem to have that in mind, though. Fingers now moved with a purpose, drawing out purrs from Felina as jolt after jolt of sweet pleasure coursed through her.

Before Felina realized it, Callie had placed Felina's leg on her shoulder. This should have bothered Felina, but it was impossible to bothered when Callie's tongue joined her fingers. Bliss grew within her as Callie worked and soon her hips moved with Callie's mouth.

"Holy Baast!" Felina shouted as pleasure erupted within in, shooting through every nerve in her body.

Everything sort of went out of focus after that. When she came back to herself, Callie was curled up next to her, drawing light circles on her chest. Felina leaned down and kissed the top of Callie's head.

"That was amazing," Felina whispered.

"Thank you for trusting me."

"I trust you with my life, so might as well keep things interesting between us." Felina then shifted on top of Callie. "Although, the classics are good, too." She leaned down, kissing Callie deeply. She had more energy to burn off and she needed to show Callie a good time to make up for her behavior at the den and to pay her back for such a wonderful night.

-8-8-8-8-

Work for Felina had been different since her relationship had been put on display and her uncle tried to force her to resign a year ago. Kats were not sure how to react to her winning a lawsuit that allowed her to continue working. This was made even worse after she took the captain's exam only a week ago and was promoted not even days ago.

Most kats never talked to her. They glared and glowered. Some tried to puff up when she was around, silently saying they could crush her. She would love to see them try. Only once had idiots dared with her, cornering her in the locker room. She had gotten a demerit and they had gotten hospital visits. This got a few guys to acknowledge her, greet her, and high-five her when they had the time.

None of the she-kats even looked her way. They feared being labeled a lioness, even if they were. Hell, especially if they were.

This would make it hard for her to have a squad of her own, as she was supposed to as a captain. There were some Enforcers who still had her back, though, and were there for her. All of them some form of ex-military.

"Captain Feral, how's it going?" Captain Lidon came over and clapped her on the shoulder. He then looked her up and down with a scrunched up face. "Where's your uniform?"

Felina was in her lieutenant's uniform. "It hasn't been finished yet."

He scoffed. "Are they making it from rare spider silk? It's not like you're a small kat. Just take a tom's uniform and taper it a bit."

Felina squinted at him. "I'm not sure that's how it works." At least, she hoped that was not how it worked.

"I'm sure it's something like that. Anyway, the Commander wants us to have a meeting about putting together a squad for you. I've got some suggestions."

"Let me guess, every other captain told him to go to Hell when he asked?" Felina knew giving a captain a squad to command was supposed to be a group effort from other captains and top brass. She doubted her uncle could get anyone else to show up, though.

Captain Lidon scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Screw them. They know your squad is about to make everyone else look bad, except mine of course."

"You just lost your best pilot, so I doubt you'll be looking too good."

Captain Lidon chuckled. He still treated her the same, after everything. He was even the one who stayed on her about the captain's test and as soon as she logged enough field hours, he had actually signed her up. He had shoved her ticket in her hand and told her not to screw it up. She made him proud; he had said as much.

"Let's get going and see who the Commander wants to suggest for you. I want to warn you now. In my pile, I've got one she-kat. I know they've been avoiding you like a spray bottle, but this one might be okay," he said while guiding her to Commander Feral's office.

Felina twisted her nose up. "Why would you want to do that to any she-kat?" She would never torment one of her own.

"She's new. She's only been on the force a couple of months, but she reminds me of you as far as potential goes. She needs a mentor. The only way to get her one is put her on your squad."

"Or she could take my place on your squad."

"No can do. She's not a pilot."

Felina arched an eyebrow. "The hell?"

"She could be your squad's top mechanic. She'll take care of your planes."

Felina did not dislike this idea. A female mechanic definitely meant air force, or she had the coolest father of all time. "If I get a flying squad."

Captain Lidon scoffed. "Your uncle isn't stupid. Why wouldn't he give his best pilot a flying squad?"

"To avoid showing favoritism."

"Again, he's not stupid and the idiots around here will think whatever he does with you is somehow favoritism. There are morons already walking around here talking about your promotion was favoritism, like they missed you log all of those hours and take the test. Stop worrying about idiots and worry about you."

She could only nod to that. In the Commander's office, they sit in front of his desk to go through a stack of candidates for her squad. Most of the kats her uncle picked out would not spit on her if she was on fire, so they damn sure would not take an order from her. Of course, Commander Feral did not care about that.

"If they can't follow simple orders, then they'll be dismissed," Commander Feral decreed from behind his desk.

"I think you'd lose a lot of good Enforcers that way," Felina replied.

"They can't be very good if they refuse orders from a superior officer," he countered.

"This is true, but even if they don't refuse orders, you wouldn't want to put the first female captain in charge of kats who might make up things about her. There are plenty of good kats who would happily follow Captain Feral into battle, and brag about it later on," Captain Lidon stated.

Felina could only think of a handful of kats who would do that. Definitely not enough to make a squad, but Captain Lidon was insistent. They focused on his stack for the remainder of the meeting. Felina knew most of the kats. Some only in passing, so she had no idea they were fine with her. In the end, Felina would end up with a small squad, but the Commander seemed to have an idea of what he wanted to do with them.

"We'll all reconvene tomorrow," Commander Feral announced. "Dismissed."

Felina and Captain Lidon saluted and then left the office. He followed her to her desk, as she had no office yet. Her desk had been vandalized yet again with the word "whore" painted on the top. She barely noticed it now, as it happened so often. As long as she did not come to find cow's blood on it again, as that had happened twice, she did not care what they wrote across the damn thing.

"Idiots," Captain Lidon growled when he noticed the desk. "You know what, come with me."

Felina arched a brow. "Where?"

"Just come on."

She decided to just go with him. It was almost lunchtime and she did not have anything to do with her time. He dragged her out of the Enforcer's Headquarters and to a nearby bar. Technically, they should not be drinking. Beyond that, the bar did not serve her anymore anyway. Too risky for losing other customers.

"Hey, Captain," the bartender said with a smile before he noticed her. His face fell. "You know I don't serve _that_." He curled his lip and looked at her as if she was nothing.

"You'll serve her and me or this is about to be a lot less pleasant morning." Captain Lidon squared his shoulders and puffed out his chest. He looked like he could take down an elephant.

The bartender had to agree as he held up his hands in surrender. "Look, Captain, it ain't my rules."

"I don't give a shit whose rules they are. You get my friend a drink to celebrate her promotion or I put your face through that fucking mirror." Captain Lidon pointed to the mirror behind the bar, and dozens of liquor bottles.

The bartender definitely understood the good captain was quite serious because he moved to get them drinks. Captain Lidon must have had a usual as the bartender slid two of the same drink in front of them and then turned his back. Captain Lidon scoffed and dropped some money on the countertop before he made his way to a table by the wall. Felina followed him.

"Let me pay you back for the drink, Captain." Felina reached for her wallet.

He snorted and waved her off. "To hell with that bullshit. Keep your money. And, you don't have to call me Captain out here. It's Diego when we're off the clock."

Felina nodded. "Okay, Diego. Even though we're not off the clock."

Shaking his head, he snorted again. "Smart ass."

She smirked at him. "It's one of the many reasons you like me."

He sipped his drink and did not deny the charge. "So, beyond this pain in the ass immaturity from too many of your coworkers, how's things going? How's your lady?"

"She's good." She would go check on Callie as soon as they were done with this drink. She did that on most of her lunch breaks. It bothered her that Callie's office was common knowledge. People had picketed outside of it most of the year and Callie had been pelted with many things, including garbage and snowballs with rocks during the winter months. On especially cruel times, like when she won a case, people would shower her with paint, glitter, and dung. More often than not, Felina could scare them off.

"I know I keep telling you this, but you don't have to be afraid to ask for help if you need it. We're not all assholes," he pointed out.

"I know, but for now, I can handle things on my own." And what she could not, he and a few others would handle for her, like finding the motherfucker who vandalized her desk, without her having to ask.

He shrugged. "All right. You know I'm here for you."

"I know. And I appreciate everything you've done, do, and will do in the future." She doubted anyone in her life had ever pushed for her so much, not even her uncle.

For the moment, they just enjoyed their drinks, taking small sips. This was an excuse to talk about nothing, for him to check in on her. He kept her together.

"Why do you care so much, Captain?" Felina found herself asking.

"Honestly? The first time I met you, you reminded me of a she-kat I knew the army. She didn't have your luck, unfortunately."

She nodded. "How'd she die?"

"Land mine. Nasty fuckers, those things. She was a lot like you, except she had a daughter. I looked out for the kit as best I could, but she didn't really need me. She had a big, supportive family. I'd come around and tell her tales about her hero mom and stuff. The moment I met you, though, I realized you were who she could've been had she lived. I don't want to see you waste your potential."

"I won't, Diego," she promised.

He smiled. "I know."

They sat for almost a half-hour, just talking. Felina went over to Callie's office right after. Callie was in her office, but she did not have lunch with her, which was odd.

"Hey, kitten." Felina leaned down to kiss Callie. "Was it my day to get lunch?"

"No. I went down and started my car, wanting to surprise you with some lunch from _Cas'_ , but the car sounded funny. I didn't want to risk it. Can you look at it?"

"Of course I can."

Callie gave her the car key. Before checking the car, she jogged to get them some fast food. They ate lunch and then she turned on the car. It certainly did sound funny. Felina had some knowledge about cars, but definitely not much. The best she had done was tinker with some jeeps while she was in the air force. Popping the hood and looking around, she knew this would take more skill than she had.

"You're going to need to call your mechanics, kitten," Felina announced as she returned the car key.

"That bad, huh? You think someone messed with it?" Callie asked. It was entirely possible.

"That could've happened, but your car is also pretty vintage, so it could just be something from one of the older engine parts. Either way, I'd feel more comfortable if we got this looked at as soon as possible." If nothing else, she would drive Callie around until the car was fixed.

"I'll call Jake and Chance right now."

With only a phone call, their evening was set up. After work, Felina drove back to Callie's office and followed behind her as they slowly made their way to the junkyard. Chance and Jake were there, waiting for them.

When Felina first met Chance and Jake, she thought they were lions. They seemed close and they were living together in seclusion pretty much, but then she noticed the way they checked out her mate's ass and she knew they were very straight. From that moment on, she watched them around Callie, even though it was public knowledge she was spoken for.

"You can wait inside if you want." Chance thumbed over to his home as he popped the hood of Callie's car.

"I'd rather watch. Get some pointers," Felina replied. The knowledge could come in handy.

Jake shrugged. "All right."

Felina watched them work for a while, even though Callie went to make herself comfortable inside. As the pair worked, they murmured to themselves about what they were doing, but they did not really speak to Felina. She was not sure if she made them uncomfortable or if they were just used to working alone.

"Do you think someone tampered with her car?" Felina finally asked.

"Certainly looks that way," Jake answered.

"They got in here and just messed with a bunch of stuff," Chance grumbled.

"Pulled things out and shoved random junk in," Jake added.

Felina nodded. There was a video camera where Callie parked. Felina would have it checked and catch the bastard who tried to harm her mate.

"We'll have to hunt for some parts, but let's take a break," Chance suggested. They had been working for almost an hour.

They all went into the house. Chance grabbed several milk beers. He passed one to each of them. Felina felt a little out of place, as she often did with these guys. These were Callie's friends. They would probably be Callie's pride if they were actually lions. So, she stood off to the side as the three spoke. The conversation was interrupted by the TV.

"Breaking news, Mayor Manx is being investigated by the colonial government for a number of different crimes, including corruption and embezzlement. The city council has finally decided on the petition to have the mayor recalled. There will be an emergency election within the required three months. Again, Mayor Manx is being investigated by the colonial government and there will be a recall election. More on this at six," a TV anchor announced.

"He lasted longer than I thought he would," Felina said. She had been certain Manx would shrivel and die as mayor within a few months of losing Callie.

"Who's going to run against him?" Jake wondered.

Felina turned to her lover and smiled. Jake and Chance did the same. Callie blinked and shook her head. No, this was definitely happening.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: everyone tries to talk Callie into running for mayor, but she seems intent on not doing it.


	3. Fang and Claw

I don't own these characters, except Tiger and Desi.

3: Fang and Claw

Callie was determined to not run in this recall election. No matter how often Felina gave her that pouty look or made a solid argument for why she should. Of course, no one else seemed to believe she should _not_ run. In fact, it was just the opposite. Mel especially would not drop the issue and Nia was already trying to throw money at her.

"Hey, got a minute?" Rita poked her head into Callie's office. This was the trouble with sharing an office space with her pride sister. Of course, if it were not for Rita, she would not even have this office space since most of the city liked to treat her as a pariah.

"No. I have no minutes," Callie replied, making a show of holding up files. Hopefully, Rita would be fooled and think she had some life-altering case to prepare. She was actually not very busy, having no pending cases at the moment.

"Of course you do. I know you like helping the oppressed and all, which is why you need to run for mayor."

Groaning, Callie ducked her head. "Why don't you run? You or Mel could run and win." They liked helping the oppressed just as much as she did.

With a snort, Rita rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Neither of us have the visibility that you do."

"I have that because kats hate me." Her friends seemed to forget people knew who she was because they felt disgusted by her relationship. Hell, even Felina seemed to forget that, trying to push her into tossing her name into the hat with this blind hope that she could somehow win.

Frowning, Rita folded her arms across her chest, wrinkling her black suit jacket. "But, plenty of kats also admire you. Every lion and lioness in the city would vote for you."

Now, Callie rolled her eyes. "So, then enough for me to not totally embarrass myself." In recent studies, there were estimates that lions and lionesses made up about ten percent of the population of Megakat City. Nowhere near enough to win an election.

Rita came closer to lean on Callie's desk. "It's a start, though. You'd have at least the people smart enough not to vote Manx back in."

"So, it would come down to who they hate more. You don't think it would be a little crushing to then lose to Manx?" Callie was not sure her self-esteem could take that blow, her relationship being considered worse than Manx selling the city off piece by piece.

Rita scoffed. "You're so negative. Is this how you are when Felina asks you to run?" A teasing smirk worked its way onto her face.

"Stop trying to get dirt on my sex life. I tell Felina the same thing I tell you mooks, I'm not running. I'm not going to embarrass myself and I'm doing good work here. I'm not going to put my cases on hold to try to convince people to vote for me when they're not going to vote for me."

Rita followed her arms across her chest. "You're so negative. Surely you have bigger dreams than this." She motioned to the small, neat office space.

Callie frowned and shook her head. "How could my dreams be any bigger? I've been helping make sure lions and lionesses aren't discriminated against, making sure the law sees everyone equally, and making sure kats aren't treated as less than because they just so happen to enjoy the company of other kats."

"You know that's not what I meant. You know what, fine. I give up." Rita held up her hands and walked off. She gave up for now. History suggested she would be back within a couple of hours with a new argument for why Callie should run for mayor.

Callie went back to work until her phone rang. Her assistant, a college student lion named Tiger of all things who seemed fearless, let her know Felina was on the line. Callie sighed.

"Tiger, you do know you're not being helpful today. First, you let Rita in and now you're forwarding me calls from Felina, even though we both know what it's about," Callie commented, leaning on her desk.

"I'm doing what we both know is right. Besides, I'm not going to die by Felina's hand by not forwarding her call," Tiger replied.

Callie snorted and decided to just answer the call. "Lina, I'm not running." She got more calls about running than she did about how she was doing now.

"Are you sure? You can do more things as mayor than you are now and you know the job inside and out. You'd be an excellent mayor. I know this has been a dream," Felina replied.

Callie was silent for a long moment. Being mayor had been a dream, and she knew it would stay that way. No one would elect her now. So, she had decided long ago to stop dreaming. She did good now and this was as far as she would go.

"Lina…" Callie sighed, trying to keep her emotions inside.

"Kitten, you forget, I know you. I'm the person you whisper to at night, remember? Why don't you just try?"

Callie sighed again. She did not want to talk about this anymore. "Haven't I whispered that to you at night as well?" Felina knew her inside and out, knew why she would not, could not do this.

"I don't think you'll lose, though," Felina's voice was low, but also sincere.

Callie wished she could be certain of that. In the past, she definitely would have thought it was hers for the taking, especially with the investigations going on. Now, she told Felina how fearful she was that kats would chose a moron like Manx over her just because she loved Felina. She could not stand it.

"Okay, do you believe in me?" Felina asked.

Callie's face twisted a bit. "Of course I do."

"I know you do. Beyond Captain Lidon, you were the one who got me to take the captain's test. I was so sure they'd come up with some new way to screw me out of it, but you told me to go in there and do what I do best because I know what I deserve. You know what you deserve, too, kitten."

Callie rubbed her forehead as she took in those words. "It's not that simple. You only had to depend on you for the test. I have to count on people being smart enough to see that who I go to bed with has no bearing on how I run the city. They're not ready to see beyond their prejudices."

"Or so you think. You're scared. I understand that, but kats aren't as stupid as you think. You have good ideas and if they listen to you, you'll win by a landslide."

Callie doubted that very much, but Felina had been insistent about this since the recall announcement a few days ago. Felina truly believed Callie was destined for some amazing role in government. Callie was fine with what she did now, had accepted this as her lot in life. It was wonderful to know her lover believed so deeply in her, but she knew it was not going to happen.

"Okay, kitten, I know nothing I say will change your mind right now, but I want you to know I believe in you," Felina said.

"I know you do."

"I also want you to know I arranged for someone to come see you and try to change your mind." She could hear a sly smile in Felina's tone.

"Lina!" Callie scolded her partner.

"What? It'll be a good visit for you, regardless of what you decide. Just give her a chance. Oh, I need to go. Love you!" Felina was gone before Callie could respond.

Callie growled and tossed the phone down. She would have to pay Felina back for this. Glancing at the clock, she saw she had about four hours to think of the proper punishment for her beloved.

"I would vote for you and I'd get all of my friends to vote for you. You should run!" Tiger called from just outside the office.

"You should work!" she replied and focused on her job. The ship of being mayor had sailed, but that was fine. She made a different and she had Felina. She would live.

Before the day was over, there was a knock on Callie's door. She glanced up, expecting to see her assistant. Instead, a tall, almost regal she-kat stood in the doorway. She was dressed in an air force uniform with thigh high boots. Her short hair was combed completely back and sharp sky blue eyes stared at Callie.

"Deputy Mayor," she said in a crisp tone.

"Callie is fine. May I help you?" Callie replied.

"I'm Captain Amelia Thompson."

The name sounded familiar. "The air force captain?"

"One and the same. Do you mind if I sit?" The Captain motioned to the dilapidated chairs in front of Callie's desk. Her furniture was donated to her by other lionesses.

 _Why did Felina call her captain on me?_ "Please." She stood up and pointed to the chair.

Amelia stepped deliberately, making little noise. It took three measured steps for her enter the office and get to the desk. She shook Callie's hand, firm and steady, and then sat down. Her back remained straight and her shoulders squared. It was as if this she-kat had no idea how to relax.

"Is this about running for mayor?" Callie asked.

"Several kats have already made the suggestion and Felina isn't sure how to get you to listen. She thinks I might have better luck," Amelia replied. While her tone was polite, she still seemed clipped. She was clearly used to being in charge and it was easy to see how she got kats to obey her.

Callie smiled a bit and shook her head. She was not as easy to control and command, though. "Because you handle her and her crew so well?" She put on a playful smirk to avoid offending the captain.

Amelia's eyes danced with laughter that did not make it out of her throat. "No, I handle everyone well. How else do you explain Sergeant Feral still having a job?"

"She's a Captain now."

"Yes, I've heard. I'm Air Force, though. She will always be a sergeant to me. I'm quite happy she found a place to move up, though. I had always feared her talent would go to waste. And, this brings me to my argument." She folded her hands in her lap. "We have our first open lioness in the Enforcers and our first female captain. Why not add first lioness mayor to the list?"

Callie shook her head. Was she the only realist around anymore? "It would never happen. She didn't need people to vote for her."

"No, but she needs people willing to work with her and she has that."

Callie blinked. "She has? You mean they gave her a squad?" Damn it, Felina had not told her that.

Amelia gave a slight shake of her head. "They will. Someone called me asking for advice in possibly serving under her. I'm sure they'll tell her by the end of the week. Besides, she's very interested in getting you to go after this position before it's too late."

"It doesn't matter. I'd never get enough votes. No one would vote for a lioness, except lions and lionesses."

Amelia flicked her wrist as if that was nothing. "Most of the military would vote for you, as well."

Callie blinked. This was news to her. "Why would they do that?"

"Well, the military is quite used to lionesses. Any female in the military is typically assumed to be one, even if she is not. I'm married and people still assume my husband is some sort of mane. But, when I give an order, it is followed to the letter regardless of my sex or assumed sexuality."

Callie held in a snicker at the term _mane_. It never ceased to tickle her to hear the term for a lioness' cover. It just seemed like a weird term for lionesses.

"The military has never been a fan of Manx. The navy will never forget or forgive him for pushing them out of the harbor, especially after that ship sank," Amelia said.

Callie nodded. This was true. Manx, or at least someone in his staff, managed to convince the colonial government to move the navy out of the harbor to make more room for commercial shipping. This was right before one of Megakat City's many lunatic terrorist criminals sank a historic navy ship that had been in the harbor for over fifty years, a monument to a victorious war most kats had forgotten. Not the navy, though.

"I've spoken to other officers in the air force. Of course, we'll back you as you're with one of our own," Amelia pointed out.

"I don't have a party to run with," Callie argued. This would make it very hard to run. Many kats were committed to their party.

"We all know thanks to corruption there really is only a single party in Megakat City."

"This is true." It happened under Manx when the major political parties just began to back him instead of offering up their own candidates. Either way, the party still would not back her.

"You can form your own party. I suggest calling it the Fang and Claw party, personally. I'm always a fan ripping things to shreds." Amelia smirked, showing off sharp, sparkling canine teeth.

"I don't have the money for that." It would take a lot of backing to begin her own political party. She did not have the grassroots support, or the time, to properly grow one.

With a chuckle, Amelia shook her head. "You really should speak to your partner about that."

Callie was not sure what that meant. Felina did not have nearly enough money it would take to run a political campaign. The only person she knew with that type of money was Nia and she was not sure if even Nia could support an entire political campaign. Of course, it did not matter. She was not running, even if she might get all of the military votes.

"Felina tells me you'd like to enact social reforms. Do you really think kats won't go for that just because it's a lioness saying it?" Amelia asked.

Callie frowned. "I think hatred blinds a lot of people." She lost almost every friend she had thanks to this so-called scandal.

"This is true, but only so much. I've had big tomkats who think they're better than me curl away and listen after they see me in action, whatever the action may be. You don't need to convince everyone. You only need to convince a majority, fifty-one percent. You're already working with locked in votes, more than Manx."

"What if someone else runs?" Callie pointed out.

"You run that risk. But, do you believe in your ideas?"

"Of course I do."

"Do you believe this city deserves the best?"

Callie was not sure about that. This was the same city that was quite happy she had been fired. The same city that accused her of corruption long before the colony figured out Manx was really the one. But, she had so many things she wanted to do, so many things she wanted to change, and just see if they worked.

"I'm not sure if this city deserves more than what they keep voting in, but I'd like to make things better," Callie admitted.

Amelia nodded. "Like the work you do here. If nothing else, you owe it to yourself to chase this dream. If the world stands in your way, so be it. You have the means to chase it. Go after it for yourself. This is what I tell every kat who comes to me, especially she-kats, who feel like they can't go any further. Push until they run you over and even then, get back up and push more. No one has ever gotten anywhere or made a difference lying on the ground, complaining to the dust about how unfair the world is."

This was too true. Beyond that, it was not like Callie to give up without trying. Felina told her several times. She just had not listened.

"Small steps, Deputy Mayor," Amelia said.

"It's Callie."

"No, soon it will be Mayor Briggs. Until then, I have other rounds. My lot keep me busy." Amelia rose to her feet in a way that was almost artistic. She held out her hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you."

Callie reached out and shook Amelia's hand. Amelia was gone after that, as if it was mission accomplished. Of course, it seemed like it was.

-8-8-8-8-

Felina sat in her car, waiting for Callie. She had to drop Callie off and pick her up for at least the rest of the week until Callie's car was fixed. It was not so bad, except she always spent the time talking about Callie running for mayor and Callie always spent the time glaring and growling at her. At least they got it out of the way before getting home, where they could act normal.

"Hey, Lina," Callie said as she slid into the car. She leaned over to kiss Felina's cheek.

Felina tensed, waiting for a little more than the greeting. After all, she sent the Captain there. That could not have been pleasant for Callie.

"Uh… hi," Felina replied as she pulled away from the curb. Several minutes past with no words between them and Felina could feel sweat dripping down her cheek. _Maybe I went too far_. Sometimes, the Captain could come on too strong and shake even the strongest of kats. "Callie, kitten, you know I meant well, right?"

Callie only glanced at her. Felina swallowed hard. No, it was not the usual glare she got in the car, but it was still unpleasant. Scratching her ear, Felina tried to think of something to say.

"Sorry?" It seemed like the best place to start.

"Sorry for what exactly?" Callie inquired.

"Uh…" Felina was not sure what she was sorry for. Maybe being unable to let this go, but even that she was not sorry for. Callie _needed_ to run for mayor. She could win, despite the bad press.

Callie stared at her with an intense glare. "Sorry for believing in me? Sorry for pushing me to pursue my dream? Sorry for being there for me above and beyond?"

Felina's brow furrowed and she squinted as she watched the road. "Uh… those all sound like good things." So, was she in trouble or not?

"They are." Callie smiled and reached over for Felina's hand. She held it in both of her. "You're a good thing, Lina. I don't want you to think otherwise, ever, even when you get on my nerves."

With a smile, Felina puffed out her chest a little. "I only want you to follow your dreams."

"I know and I guess it took an outside presence to convince me, but I want to do this now. I've wanted to be mayor since I first went to work in that office and saw all the ways _not_ to do something. I want to clean up this city and make it a place all kats can live, love, and work to the best of their ability."

With a chuckle, Felina flashed her lover a grin. "Well, you got my vote."

"Of course I do. Your captain, she suggested I actually start my own political party to run."

Felina nodded. "Sounds good. Not like there's any parties in the city that aren't in bed with Manx."

"Do you know how much money that will cost?"

"Well, you've got Nia. I know she'll donate as much money as she can to you."

Callie nodded. "One donor does not a campaign make."

"And…" Felina went into her pocket and flipped a card in her fingers. "I've got a favor from two very wealthy brothers."

Callie blinked. "You think the Onca brothers would finance me?"

They had been through this before, but Felina figured Callie just needed reassurance. "Well, I did save their lives and they still talk to me, so they don't care about us being lionesses. Hell, they ask about you sometimes and want to know how you're doing and how things are going with us."

An elegant eyebrow raised. "Both of them? You talk to both of them now?"

"Well, Desi more than Hernan of course. Desi still likes making me laugh." Felina was attached to Desi, considering him a true friend. She would never really call in a favor from him, but ask for his help. She had no doubt he would and Hernan would probably go along with him.

Callie chewed the corner of her mouth. "It wouldn't be too much?"

"I'll call him as soon as we get home."

Callie only nodded, probably overwhelmed with the idea that she could actually chase her dream. Felina gave Callie's hand a reassuring squeeze. Callie squeezed back and Felina smiled at her. She wanted nothing more than to give Callie this.

So, when they got home, she made a beeline for the phone. Callie hung out in the background, trying to seem busy. Callie went in the refrigerator, but never pulled anything out. She also went through the cabinets, but again, did not pull anything out. Felina smiled and was about to make a remark about how dinner was not going to cook itself, but the call was answered.

"Hello," Desi's voice carried through the receiver.

"Hey, Desi, it's Felina." She watched as Callie now stopped pretending to look for things. She just stood still in the kitchen.

"Hey, Felina! I was just thinking about you. You have to let me take you out for drinks after shattering that glass ceiling. I know you don't want to hang out with me, but damn it, we'd have a good time. I know all the spots."

Felina laughed. "I've no doubt about that." Desi made it seem like he was a party guy, but usually when she called him, he claimed he was at home.

"But, that's not why you called."

"No. I called because, well, Callie."

"Oh, say no more. Tell you what, you bring yourself and the missus to my house for dinner tomorrow and you've got me without questions."

Felina blinked and had to look at her phone, like that would make things make sense. "It's just that easy?" _Wish I had money like that_.

"Well, Manx is an ass and almost certainly on his way to jail, I like you, and from what I can tell with the former deputy mayor, she's a good person. That puts her leaps and bounds ahead every other politician I've met in Megakat City and I have met a lot. I know about being ruthless and all. You don't get a business empire without it, but you need some kind of morals if you're going to lead people somewhere."

Felina nodded. "You're preaching to the converted."

"So, you'll make the drive?" A smile could be heard in his voice.

Felina groaned. Desi lived well outside the city, over an hour outside the city. He and his brother did plenty of business in the city, but recognized it was not the best place to raise a family, not that Hernan had a family. Plenty of the city's wealthy elite lived in the suburbs.

"Okay, never mind. I'm sending a car for you. It's done," Desi declared.

"You can't just…" Felina sighed. She could not turn this down anyway. Callie needed this.

"I just did. The car will be there by six. You should have time to get ready. Please, don't dress like it's a ball." Desi had the nerve hang up.

Felina growled, but did not bother to call him back. Instead, she turned to her partner. "We have a dinner date tomorrow."

Callie arched an eyebrow as she made her way into the living room. "With whom?"

"Desi. He's onboard, but he's using this to be annoying."

A smile danced on Callie's face. "He's the younger brother, isn't he?"

"Oh, it couldn't be more obvious. But, dinner date. He'll send a car for us at six, giving us time to get ready, but he doesn't want us to dress like it's a ball." They would not be left with much time to get ready, but any later and dinner would be pointless.

Callie blew her bangs up. "This sounds complicated."

"I doubt it. While I haven't seen Desi since pushing him off the platform, talking to him seems fine. He seems, well, normal, I guess. I mean, like I could probably have a beer with him."

"But, you haven't."

Felina rubbed the back of her neck. No, she had not, even when he outright asked. She was not sure why. Maybe it was because she was not used to hanging out with tomkats. Or maybe it was because she did not want him to stop seeing her as this heroic figure. She just felt like their relationship was fine and safe over the phone and through texts.

"Maybe I'm just a jerk," Felina commented.

Callie scoffed as she slid over to Felina and wrapped her in a hug, which included wrapping her tail around Felina. "You're many things, but not that."

Felina purred and rested a hand on Callie's tail. "You know I can't think straight when you're pressed against me like this." Her fingers enjoyed the soft fur of Callie's tail, slowly running along the tip.

Callie gave her a sexy smile with hooded eyes. "You should never think straight and let this go. You'll see Desi tomorrow and find out if he's the type of kat you can hang out with. More friends won't kill you." Her expression changed to a more amused smile.

Felina only shrugged to that. It was true. This year had allowed her to see how blessed she was, despite being outed. Captain Lidon fought tooth and nail for her. The Onca brothers remained in her corner and Callie never left her side. She had more people there for her now, more people she could trust with her life, than she had for a long time. It was nice.

"I love you, you know?" Felina embraced Callie and buried her cheek in Callie's soft, sun-kissed hair.

"I never doubt you do. I love you, too, and thank you for making me go after this." Callie held her tighter.

Felina sighed and rubbed Callie's back. She wanted nothing more than to give Callie everything her partner wanted in this life. _I'll do whatever I can to make this happen_.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: dinner with the Onca brothers and some talk of politics.


	4. Prey

I do not own Felina and Callie, but I own most of the other characters in this chapter.

4: Prey

Callie was nervous, Felina could tell. She was not bouncy or jittery nervous. There was just the way she checked herself out several times in the mirror and changed earrings four times. She had to remind Callie Desi would not care about her earrings. The behavior did not die down when the car called up to let them know he was downstairs.

"He's downstairs already? But, maybe I shouldn't wear these shoes." Callie looked down at her feet.

"Kit, the shoes are fine. We need to go." Felina wrapped an arm around Callie's waist and let her out of the door.

Felina made sure to stay close to Callie, even as they went down to the car. Callie decided to dress as if this casual dinner was a business meeting and to avoid making her look silly, Felina had done the same to a degree. She wore a male's suit, in black, with a white button-down shirt, several buttons undone on Callie's insistence. She allowed Callie to fix her hair as well, as it helped keep her calm. Callie talked the whole time about absolutely nothing, though. The nerves really hit when she had nothing left to do.

"It'll be fine," Felina whispered to Callie, holding her hand tight as the driver rushed around the black town car to open the door for them.

Callie swallowed loudly and took a breath. "I'm sure."

Felina kissed Callie's cheek and then helped Callie into the car, just in time, too. As soon as Callie was on the seat, Felina caught sight of a trio of kats coming toward them, snickering and smirking as they looked at her. This was bad news walking and it was only a few feet away.

"Hey, if it isn't the most famous dyke of all time," one of the guys smirked as they stood a couple of feet from her. The other two morons with him laughed, like this was funny.

 _Dyke_. This was the term most idiots settled on as their slur of choice. She wondered where it came from and why it sounded so terrible, even though it was so new. It had no history to be so hurtful, but it sounded so blunt and crashed into her like a baseball bat every single time.

"She just hasn't met the right guy." Another jerk-off had the nerve to grab himself. So, apparently, they were doing this in broad daylight.

Felina moved, wanting to block the door. She wanted to keep them away from Callie and also keep Callie from getting out. Her queen had no problem getting into kats' faces over words like this. It would be sexy if it was not so dangerous.

"No, I tend to break them in half," Felina replied, holding up a fist. She had actually been with two guys in her life and she was certain they regretted it more than she did. Callie had laughed at that when she disclosed that bit of information.

"Is that a challenge?" the first guy asked. He squared his shoulders and tried to puff himself up to appear bigger. His stupid friends did the same, like she was supposed to be scared.

"Is it?" Felina replied with a smirk of her own. She straightened her cuffs and cracked her knuckles. At least she would have a good story to tell when they arrived.

"Ma'am, we're on a time limit," the driver pointed out. His tone was respectful, but the look in his eyes was a little agitated. He made a show of holding up his wrist for her to see his large watch.

Felina glanced at him and then at the trio again. "I would probably put all three of you on your asses in less than thirty seconds—"

"But, you won't because of the time limit," Callie said, pointing to her watch. Did she just see the driver do that and was trying to be extra-obnoxious?

"This is not a good time to be arrested," the driver told her.

Felina scoffed. The Enforcers would not come for something like this in the first place. These morons would have to go and file a report personally. No one had yet to do that and she doubted they would. No one wanted to be the kat who was beaten by a lioness. The Enforcers would probably laugh in their faces if they ever had the nerve to do so.

"Lina," Callie growled. A warning, a scolding.

"Lina," the second idiot had the nerve to purr.

She would beg forgiveness later when Callie iced her knuckles and glared at her for doing what she does. For now, the sound of her fist on his cheek echoed through streets, over the din of traffic. He dropped, blood splattering onto the cold grey cement. She turned to the other two and smirked.

"Want a taste?" Felina asked, wiggling her eyebrows and holding up her fist.

Instead of stepping up, they helped their friend to his feet and Felina eased her body into the car. The driver shut the door as she settled into the plush, tan leather seat. She glanced at Callie, who frowned deeply as they pulled away from the curb. Felina smiled, trying to seem at least a little apologetic, even though she knew this would not get her out of trouble. Callie glared at her for quite a while, not speaking, just staring with a hard intensity.

"I only hit one," Felina finally said, like this was a valid excuse. She felt like it was a great exercise in restraint.

"They didn't touch you," Callie replied, folding her arms across her chest.

Felina refused to feel bad about this. "No, they didn't, but I bet they won't touch any other lioness they come across either. Hell, I doubt they'll make fun of them either."

Callie scowled and shook her head. "You won't be happy until you actually get arrested." For a moment, she turned away and just stared out of the window. The city passed them by at a decent speed.

Felina scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Over this?" It would never happen.

Callie turned back to her, green eyes boring into her. "Lina, I need you to stop being so reckless. You don't have to protect me or prove anything."

"If I don't protect you, who will? The Enforcers?" Felina rolled her eyes again. She would destroy any fool who dared to breathe wrong in Callie's direction because who else would? It was her job and she would do it to best of her ability.

Callie reached over and took one her hands, holding it with both of hers. This simple gesture should not feel as good as it did, but it never failed to make Felina feel warm inside. It made the scolding easier to take, which she suspected was why Callie did it often.

Those green eyes were so wide with worry. "You take stupid risks. Those guys could've had weapons. They could've hurt you or worse. What would I do without you?" the words were hushed, but urgent.

Felina swallowed and her stomach burned. _Stupid_. While she was busy posturing, Callie worried over losing her. Yes, she had to protect Callie, but she could not put herself into a risky situation like that just to prove a point. They had this conversation several times and it always slipped her mind when she got in the moment.

"I'm an ass," Felina grumbled.

Callie nodded. "But, you're my ass." She leaned over and kissed Felina's cheek while giving her hand another squeeze. "Truthfully, you are not an ass. We both know that. But, you're still in trouble."

Felina pouted. Begging forgiveness later never helped. Of course, she loved this about Callie. Callie called her on things. Eventually, this would blow over, though, until her next stupid stunt.

Felina tempted to make a joke, wanting to say something about Callie not being nervous anymore, but she let it go. Callie would not find it funny and she would probably go back to being anxious about this dinner. So, she would take the reprimand.

"You always do that. You always have to be the hero," Callie huffed and she released Felina's hand.

Felina shrugged. "I don't know any other way to be." It felt like it was in her DNA.

Callie exhaled so hard it puffed out her cheeks. Her hand ended up on Felina's knee and she rubbed Felina's knee a little. This felt a little like forgiveness, but Felina knew that was not the case. She would still be trouble later on.

"I knew who you were before I fell in love with you, but you can still be such a big idiot. You never think about things when you rush in and you're not alone anymore. Do you think I'd feel better knowing you got hospitalized or worse trying to protect me or my honor?"

Groaning, Felina ducked her head. "No." It was never her intention to leave Callie alone. She doubted any of these cowards could beat her, if they had weapons or not. But, her love worried and she should respect that, consider that, and stop rushing into these situations.

"Then why do you do these things? You just leap into these fights and everything. You're not on your own," Callie reminded her. "Do I have to say this every day? Go 'I love you, Lina. You're not on your own'?"

Felina groaned a little more and she wanted to sink through the seat. Making matters worse, she was certain the damned driver was listening to the whole conversation. If he made a peep, she would punch him, too, and drive the damn car herself.

"Can't you just let me admit that I'm an ass and not keep making me feel like an ass?" Felina grumbled.

Callie leaned in closer. "I'm hoping it'll eventually stick. Because, really, what do I do when you're gone?"

Felina rubbed her forehead. "Run the city and hang out with Jake and Chance."

Callie gave her a deadpan look, letting her know that was not the right answer. Maybe it was not right, but she was certain it was true. Jake and Chance would take care of Callie for her. Callie would survive without her, despite what Callie seemed to think.

"You noble idiot," Callie said, gently shoving her knee.

Felina smiled. Name calling tended to be a good sign. The scolding was coming to an end. By the time they got to the gates of Desi's house, everything was fine. Callie was curled up next her and she had been properly and thoroughly reprimanded. Until the next stupid thing anyway.

The house was very much a mansion. The lawn was for freshly mowed with a colorful flower garden. The car pulled up right to the long stairs that led to the front door, which was frosted glass. The driver opened the car door and Felina stepped out, awed by the size of the house, which resembled a castle. Felina felt underdressed now.

Shaking that thought away, Felina reached into the car to help Callie out. The driver stepped out of the way, obviously understanding this was Felina's job. Callie emerged from the car and looked at the house as well. Felina pressed her close in case Callie's nervousness returned.

"Felina!" Desi greeted them with open arms in his foyer. Felina had never been in a home with a foyer before. Seeing he was dressed almost exactly the same way she was, at least Felina did not feel underdressed anymore.

"Desi." Felina quickly put her hand out. He seemed like a hugger and she was not. He wasted no time shaking her hand and, thankfully, did not attempt to hug her.

"You pull off this look better than I do," Desi remarked as he brushed off his jacket sleeve.

"Just blessed," Felina retorted with a smile.

Desi turned his attention to Callie, who held out her hand. "Miss Briggs." He leaned down and kissed her hand. Felina fought off rolling her eyes.

"It's a pleasure to meet you again," Callie said. She had met him and his brother a couple of years ago when they first started dealing with Mayor Manx. Callie always made it seem like she did not know the brothers well, despite the business dealings.

"Yes. Come in, come in, come in." Desi ushered them into the house.

Felina put her arm around Callie's waist as they stepped all the way into the house. Callie tucked in close to her. Felina could not help looking around, feeling like she was in a museum. It made sense why this was not in the city. It would have probably been robbed blind by now.

"Felina, after dinner, I'm going to show you my game room. I feel like I can challenge you and not get scolded by my wife like I do with my son," Desi commented with a bright smile.

Before Felina could inquire about Desi's family, they were standing in front of the family in some kind of living room. There was a huge entertainment center and plush sectional sofa in front of it. Everything was clean and polished. Desi practically trotted over to them, his wife, young son, and kitten. He grinned as he stood with them.

"This is my wife, Bambi." He motioned to his elegant spouse, who was dressed in a simple sundress with very little makeup. "Our son, Mexi, and my precious little Arizona. Isn't she adorable?" Desi took the kitten from his wife to display her to Felina and Callie. He held the tiny kit with pride and confidence, such a huge grin on his face.

"Arizona Felina," his wife added with a smile just as bright as Desi's.

Felina blinked a couple of times and forced herself not to take a step back. "You named her after me?"

"Well, without you, she wouldn't have been born in the first place. It only seemed right." Bambi reached out for a handshake, causing a diamond bracelet on her wrist to slide and sparkle.

The glint from the rows of diamonds was so distracting, Felina had to take a brief moment to collect herself and shake Bambi's hand. Bambi held her hand tightly with both of her hands for a long second. She looked at Felina with this big, bright, blue eyes that put her diamonds to shame, like Felina was actually a hero. Felina just wanted to disappear for a few seconds until the scrutiny was over.

"Thank you so much for saving my husband's life. He's a goof and annoying, but I'd rather he annoy me for a few more years." Bambi smiled.

"I was just doing my job," Felina insisted. This really was all there was to it. Yes, doing her job had landed her Callie, which was awesome. But, she did not do what she did for rewards or praise. It definitely did not warrant naming a kitten after her. She did it because it was the right thing to do, the right thing she was compelled to do.

"Never to this family and we'll never be able to thank you enough," Bambi stated, taking a step back and retrieving Arizona from her husband. Maybe she sensed this could get awkward, or was already a little awkward.

Felina would have argued that point, but she learned from Callie, it would not matter. It probably was not even polite. So, she just smiled and nodded.

"Where's Hernan?" Felina asked, wanting to change the subject. Besides, she thought both brothers would be there for this.

"He's on his way. He stayed late at the office," Desi replied, waving the whole thing off.

"As he often does. I'm sure we can entertain each other until he arrives," Bambi said.

Felina gave a Desi a look. "Did you tell him to work late to force me to socialize with you?" she smirked.

Desi scoffed and made a show of rolling his eyes. "I don't have to force him to stay at the office ever. Sometimes, I have to go and make sure he's not chained to the desk. It's like the numbers are holding him hostage."

Bambi arched an eyebrow. "Are you done, dear?"

"I got one more. I'm waiting for his chair to ransom him back to me," Desi remarked with a grin. "Now, I'm done… with that section anyway."

Now, Bambi rolled her eyes. "You say these things as if you were not as bad as him once upon a time."

Desi scoffed loudly and waved the whole thing away with both hands. "On to you, Captain. Why wouldn't you want to socialize with me? I'm awesome, right, Mexi?"

The boy gave a toothy smile and puffed out his little chest. "That's right! My dad is way awesome! He's making an Iron-kat suit for the army!"

Felina was not sure what that meant, but she gave the kitten a smile and a nod. Giving Desi a glance, he just shrugged and smirked at her. Felina rolled her eyes. He was determined to make her like him.

"How about a tour?" Desi suggested, jabbing his thumb behind him. "Maybe you want to hold your namesake." He gave Felina another smirk.

"Uh…you sure?" Felina was not used to people offering her kittens to touch. Her own mother had made sure she stayed away from her siblings once she was outed. More recently, people with kittens would cross the street when they saw her.

"I insisted." Bambi slid the kitten into her arms before she knew what hit her.

Felina let out a very uncharacteristic squeal as the baby settled against her chest. There was a soft coo from Arizona and she looked at Felina with the biggest, cutest yellow eyes Felina had ever seen. She was fairly certain she felt her heart melt in her chest. _So, this is why kats have these things. They're so cute!_

"She's so precious," Callie said, smiling softly, practically hanging on Felina's shoulder. Her weight was not fully on Felina, but she was felt just the same and it was so good.

"She is. And, so very tiny," Felina replied.

"You cut a cute family. Perhaps a kitten in the near future?" Bambi proposed with a soft smile.

Felina's face fell before she could help it. How could this ever be them? She robbed Callie the chance to be a mother.

"We'd probably have to figure out a donor before any of that or possibly adopting," Callie chimed in.

Felina blinked. It seemed like Callie had thought of this already. They could use a donor. Callie could carry a kitten. Or, they could adopt. So many kittens needed a good home and there was no law against it… yet. She had not robbed Callie of anything.

"You've thought about this?" Felina found herself asking. Callie had the nerve to smile coyly.

Bambi smiled, too. "I'm sure Miss Briggs has thought on how to tie you down many times, Felina. Surely you understand you're a catch."

"She's not wrong," Callie concurred with a laugh.

Bambi winked and Felina felt herself blush. Callie and Bambi shared a high-five, seemingly instantly comfortable with each other now. The tour started and Felina was able to hold the kitten the whole time. Arizona was a calm kitten, laughing and smiling at her the whole time. Arizona also giggled when Callie showed her attention. Maybe… maybe they could be mothers together one day.

The tour was amazing. Mexi did most of the talking, which was beyond cute. A seven-year-old tour guide. He was like a mini-adult, especially since he had on slacks and suspenders. His little feet, covered in wingtip shoes, tapped lightly on the hard floors as he walked around like he owned the joint.

Desi added in jokes and winked at Felina a bunch to make sure she got them. She hated that she was really starting to like him, and his family. They might actually have to get a drink one day. And then, Hernan arrived and it was time for dinner.

-8-8-8-8-

Dinner went much better than Callie expected. She had gotten used to Desi during the tour and was able to speak to him on friendly terms, especially seeing when he was not working, he truly was a bit of a goof. Adding to her comfort was the fact that they allowed her to feed Arizona. Bambi talked to her the whole time, even giving her baby tips. The family was just so comfortable, she could only be the same.

The dinner felt very family-like as well. They did not sit at some long, luxurious table. The table was fairly big for a family of four, but fit them well with guests. There were not courses upon courses, just a simple meal.

After dinner, Hernan was the one who proposed they go to the home office and discuss business. Desi gave a sheepish grin and shrugged, as if he was embarrassed by his brother. But, he showed them where to go.

"Can I come? I could help," Mexi said, jogging up behind them.

Callie could not help thinking how cute he was. The way Desi handled him was cute as well. She could not believe he had once been a workaholic.

Desi got down to Mexi's level. "You certainly could help, but before you can come in and make a deal, we've got to work on Uncle Hernan. You know how tough he can be. Once we get him on the level, you can come in and seal the deal, okay?"

Mexi nodded and pulled at his suspenders. "I got this."

Desi grinned. "I know you do." He glanced over to Bambi and gave her a nod.

"Mexi, before you do business, can you come help Mommy put Arizona to bed? She likes when you read to her," Bambi said.

Mexi nodded and charged off. Desi turned back to them and shrugged. Felina and Callie just smiled at him. That was too cute to be upset about.

"Drinks?" Desi offered as they entered into his office space. It was huge, like something out of a movie, with tall bookshelves, an expensive desk, and an imported leather sofa. It reminded her of the mayor's office, but more serious and less of a showoff. "I bet I have cream you'll like," he gave Callie a smile and wiggled his eyebrows.

Callie shook her head. "It's fine."

"What bloods do you have?" Hernan asked as he eased into a plush chair.

"Nothing you want to drink. You're all about antelope blood." Desi made a face.

"It has a richer taste," Hernan replied as he crossed one leg over the other.

"You say that about monkey blood, too, and I'm not inclined to agree. We're not here to argue bloods. Let's discuss Callie running for mayor." Desi motioned to the couch. "Ladies, please, sit."

Callie and Felina did as requested. Callie took in just the simple scene before her and what she already knew about the brothers. In business meetings, they had both seemed similar, as if they were always on the same page. Here, it was clear Hernan was actually very serious while Desi was more carefree. She could see why Desi was the one who kept up contact with Felina now and why he was the one who tried to show her so much appreciation.

"I've heard the Spotted Party plans to run a good friend of yours," Hernan said.

"The Spotted Party isn't planning to back Manx?" Callie could not believe this. They had backed him three times, as if he was a part of their political party.

"They think the writing's on the wall with Manx. He's guilty. We all know this," Hernan replied.

Callie nodded. This was very true. She had files in her possession that showed so much corruption it was not even funny and it was not the tip of the iceberg. She took hold of those records to make sure no one from City Hall tried to really go after her once she was outed and fired. Manx was done when the colonial government really started digging.

"Well, if the Spotted Party isn't backing Manx, then who have they decided to run?" Callie asked. She wondered if the other political parties would also run their own candidates. Did they remember how to do that? Most of them just backed Manx whenever he was up for reelection.

"Well, we all know how the Spotted Party likes to take strong stances on crime, law enforcement, and such, so they've decided to run former Lieutenant Commander Peter Steele," Hernan answered.

Felina made a gagging noise and Callie felt like her jaw had to hit the floor. It was a good thing she had not accepted the offer of a drink or she would have spit it out. They were going to run Steele? The bastard who outed her and Felina as if their relationship was any of his business? The bastard who tried to blackmail them to get a better position in the Enforcers? Callie would take pleasure in embarrassing him during the election, but she was not sure if she could. She was not sure she would survive losing an election to him.

"This works for us to a degree. He's only got law enforcement experience, nothing political, and you both are well versed in his career already. We also know exactly how he'll attack you," Hernan pointed out.

Callie nodded. "That is helpful." It was pleasant to see Hernan thought so much about this already. Hopefully, he and his brother would bring the same energy to this as they did to their business empire.

"Plus, he's not a danger to your already locked in military votes," Felina added.

"Right." Callie smiled. Steele had never served and he was not particularly kind to the Enforcers who had. They would spread the word.

"If we're going to take the political world by storm, I think we should hire a PR consultant. We all know the first and hardest thing Steele and Manx will hit you with is being a lioness and then being female," Hernan continued.

"I've already looked up several who are willing to help. We'll front the bill," Desi added.

Hernan rolled his eyes. "I assume we're fronting the bill for everything." He said it like it was a foregone conclusion, but not in an upset manner. It was like it was a simple fact.

"I'm sure that's not true." Callie already knew she had the might of Nia's conglomeration behind her.

"Yeah, this is politics. We have to do fundraisers and things that help connect to people, right?" Felina asked.

"Of course we have to do that if we want votes," Callie replied. She might be able to make other business connections this way and get more funding to avoid relying on just the brothers and Nia.

"This is true. Now, I've never been much for politics, but I do like planning and organizing, so I've made a list of things we'll need for the campaign. Miss Briggs, I would appreciate if you would look it over in case I've forgotten something." Hernan eased his phone out of his suit jacket pocket. "I just sent it to Felina."

"Please, call me Callie and perhaps we should exchange numbers." Callie went into her purse for her phone. While rummaging, she passed her signal for the Swat Kats. She had not had the chance to use it much this past year, but the duo never took it from her and did not seem to plan on it. Perhaps, she would be able to use it in an official capacity soon enough.

The Onca brothers both nodded and numbers were exchanged. It would seem, they were going to do this. Callie felt butterflies in her stomach. What if this turned out to be a huge mistake? Beyond that, what if this turned out to be the best thing ever, after Felina of course? Callie was deathly afraid of the former, but could not even comprehend the latter.

"So, welcome to the Wild Party," Desi declared, clapping his hands together.

Hernan gave his brother a deadpan look. "We'll discuss a name."

"Please." Callie was not sure if she wanted to be the "Wild Party" candidate for mayor.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: they start making a battle plan… and get a proper party name.


	5. Competition

I don't own these characters, except Desi and Hernan.

5: Competition

The Proud Party was now in full swing. They settled on Proud Party. Desi and Nia both wanted to call it the Pride Party, as sort of an inside joke. Hernan, being the adult in the room at the time, gave them a hard look, but they would not be moved. Callie did not like the idea because it seemed like it might exclude kats who were not lions and lionesses. She did not want anyone to feel like this party was against them. But, she wanted anyone who was different to feel compelled to be a part of their party and also to understand being different did not mean they were wrong.

The party headquarters was in an office building the Onca brothers owned. Nia wanted it in one of her buildings, but she lost out on this due to the two against one thing. Callie had sat out the argument. Felina claimed she did not see it as her place to chime in. If things continued on this way, Nia would probably eat one of the Onca brothers before the election was over.

Nia came on board for this endeavor immediately when Callie informed her she had been talked into running. Beyond Felina and the Onca brothers, several other business people had called Callie, wanting to know if she planned to run. It was a little surprising, especially when they decided to donate money to the campaign. She had expected them to be all talk.

Yes, she understood business kats were worried about the election, but she had been so certain they would just back Manx. But, there were kats she had dealt with for many years and who knew what was going to happen with Manx who called her. They did not think Steele would suit their desires for someone running the city and surprisingly enough, they did not want to run their own candidate. They liked her just fine. Now, she needed to work on getting even more business people on her side, if only for money to keep the campaign alive.

It would be no easy task. Business was not known for being kind or even inclusive for females. The horror stories Nia alone told were enough for Callie to understand the upward journey she had. But, business kats had referred to her as Manx's secretary enough for her to know how pig-headed they could be. Those guys would probably back Manx or think they could control Steele. She would still need to figure out how to get a few of them on her side, though. Nia's voice took her out of this train of thought.

"We'll need to employ staff now," Nia said as she eased down onto one of the few pieces of furniture in the main space of the office. An egg shell white sofa that she had provided. Glancing around, her upper lip curled at the corner. "Well, and provide proper decor."

Hernan, standing in the middle of the empty space, rolled his eyes. "Females."

"Hey!" Callie and Nia barked together.

Hernan jumped, as if he was actually startled by the outburst. Desi laughed, probably unable to help it. Hernan could not possibly be used to dealing with females as equals. This was going to be interesting.

"I'll bring Tiger, my assistant over here," Callie said. If this would be her main focus for the next three months, she might as well use her assistant. Tiger would undoubtedly enjoy this.

"He'll do nicely. I'm sure he never imagined this as your assistant when you hired him," Nia said.

"I doubt it, but he'll be more than happy to help. He has unwavering confidence in the campaign already."

Nia nodded and turned her attention to the Onca brothers. "Beyond a proper staff, Callie told me you two want to have someone handle PR for her."

"Well, she does have one big thing working against her," Desi pointed out.

Nia only made a noise and nodded. It seemed she approved of this idea of hiring someone to do PR. Desi and Hernan had already decided from a list they had. Callie left it in their hands since it was their money and they had already done the research. Of course, if she did not like who they hired, then she would say something.

"When is this person showing up?" Nia asked, looking toward the door.

Desi checked his watch. "I scheduled him to be here after Felina got off work, so within the hour."

Felina was not there yet, but she would get off of work in about ten minutes and it would take her at least thirty minutes to get there. Callie wondered if Felina had a complete squad yet. Surely, Felina would call and give her the news when that happened. She hated to think the Enforcers top brass would try to pull something to keep Felina from getting a squad or even worse, keep her out of the air. Whatever was going on there, Felina was rather tightlipped about it.

Felina arrived right on time from work. She barely had a chance to greet any of them, did not even get to give Felina a quick peck on the cheek, before the Onca brothers' guest of honor arrived. Callie, Nia, and Felina all grimaced when the kat walked in. He looked like a con-man, dressed in a flashy teal suit with a matching bowtie. It did not work well with his orange fur.

"You're kidding, right?" Nia said with a sneer tugging at her upper lip. She glared at the Onca brothers with narrow eyes.

"Van Jinx never kids," the PR manager replied with a slick smile. His eyes danced with mischief. "Most people call me Jinx, so you're all welcome to do the same." Calling him Jinx did not make him seem less sleazy, but at least he did not go by some street name. Of course, his surname was close enough for him to not have to go by a street name.

He went around and shook all of their hands. It was a little gratifying that he had no problem touching Callie and Felina, not worried their sexuality would rub off. Still, Callie felt like something about him might rub off and she resisted the urge to wash her hands. But, she had met plenty of PR people in her life. They tended to have a controlling energy about them, which made sense. They manipulated the masses for a living, after all.

"Now, let's get to business. We all know the biggest obstacle standing in Callie's way is her being a lioness," Jinx announced.

"Please, state the obvious again," Nia remarked as she reclined on the sofa. Callie moved next to her and lightly slapped her on the shoulder to get her to stop.

"Give the kat a chance," Callie hissed. Nia curled her lip and folded her arms across her chest, but this was generally a sign she would listen for at least a minute.

"That's simple to remedy. You don't deny, but you downplay. Felina, you should make yourself scarce whenever she's out in public," he continued.

"Excuse me?" Callie practically roared, jumping to her feet again. One, she disliked him talking to her lover as if they were old friends. Two, Felina was the whole reason this was happening in the first place. She wanted Felina by her side the whole time.

"All due respect and everything," he said, as if that made his statement that much better. His eyes dismissed Felina all too easily, though.

Callie growled, ready to give him a piece of her mind and send him packing. No one talked to her mate like that in front of her! The only thing that held her tongue was Felina caressing her bicep. She turned to face Felina, who was at her side.

"He's right, kit," Felina said in a low voice, like she did not want to undermine Callie in front of everyone.

Callie's eyes went so wide, she feared they might fall out of her head. "What?"

"I don't want to hold you back and if I'm there, all everyone is going to see is your girlfriend and think of you as a lioness. It doesn't matter what you're saying or what you stand for. They'll just think of all of the junk they've heard about lionesses and they won't trust you. I'm fine with staying out of the limelight while you do your thing," Felina explained with a smile.

"It won't mean anything if you're not there," Callie said.

"I will be there. You gotta come home sometime, right?" A lopsided grin spread across Felina's face.

"It's just in public, I'm sure," Nia chimed in. She was in agreement with this stupid plan? "You don't have to break up. That would be ridiculous."

Callie frowned. The two people she expected to be on her side were all for this zany plan. She supposed it made sense with the way Felina laid it out, but it sounded like she was ashamed of Felina and she was not. If a kat had met Felina, then they would know everything about her was amazing and there was nothing about her to be hidden away. Hell, even kats who had not met Felina should know she was amazing. She was hero, after all.

"It's just for the election, right?" Desi asked, like this would make it okay.

"Of course just for the election. I can't see a recall being done as everyone suddenly remembers Callie has a girlfriend," Jinx replied.

"That's not grounds for a recall anyway," Callie grumbled.

"Then, it's settled," Felina suddenly declared.

Callie could not help glaring at her, but she did not say anything. They moved on to discuss the other major issues Callie would certainly face in the election — the fact that she had been deputy mayor under Manx. People would question her honesty and integrity as much as his. The one thing she had on her side was the fact that she was not under investigation. They would just have to make sure the colonial government made that clear whenever the press contacted them on this.

Then, there was the trouble that Callie was a she-kat. Megakat City had never had a female mayor. There was a still a strong belief that there were certain jobs she-kats were not able to do. She would have to prove them wrong.

"There's so much to do," Jinx actually grinned. Maybe he liked a challenge.

"Can it be done?" Hernan inquired with an arched eyebrow.

Jinx looked at Callie and scoffed. "I've done more with less. Callie should make this easy. She's not even asshole."

"Thank you," Callie deadpanned. She was sure this would be a trip just from having Jinx around. She could not even imagine how the outside world would react to her.

-8-8-8-8-

Felina was barely through the door before Callie started in on her. She expected it. Callie would never go for pretending to be straight or acting as if they were not together, but Callie needed to run. Felina was not insulted by the suggestion. In fact, it made perfect sense to her.

"How could you?" Callie flared up as soon as the door closed. She glowered sharp daggers at Felina.

"Kitten," Felina said calmly. Slowly, she reached out for Callie, but Callie moved out of the way.

"No, no, no! Don't 'kitten' me! How could you just agree with this bonehead plan for me to not be around you in public?" Callie threw her hands up and glared fiercely at Felina, like she was trying to set Felina ablaze with her eyes. It really should not have been as hot as it was, but angry Callie always sent a shiver up Felina's spine.

"Callie, it's not a big deal. I know you're not breaking up with me or anything like that. You're not being forced to date someone. You just have to be out in the public and telling them about yourself without me looming over you. This doesn't change our relationship," Felina replied. It was just a tactic to get Callie elected. A very necessary tactic.

Hissing, Callie stomped her foot. "People will think I'm someone I'm not! They'll think I'm ashamed of being with you, which is bullshit. I'm tired of you falling on your sword for me all the time!"

Felina was not sure what to say about that. The point was for kats to forget she was a lioness in order for them to hear her stance on real issues without being drowned out by prejudice. It would be hard enough for her just being a female. She did not need added weight to this.

As far as falling on her sword, she would do that time and time again for Callie. She loved this she-kat, damn it, and she would do everything in her power to make Callie's dreams come true and to protect her. Maybe Callie would never truly accept that for various reasons, but it was what she had to do.

Felina ran her hand through her hair. "Kitten, what do you want me to do? We both know we need kats to see you before letting them see us. If they see us, all they'll see if two lionesses and all of the lies they believe that goes with that. They'll never see you or hear you. _You_ have to come before _us_ right now."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Callie shook her head. "No."

"Yes." Felina stepped forward and embraced her lover. She hugged Callie to her tightly and caressed right above her tail. "I'm not insulted by this. I understand it's necessary."

"I hate that it is," Callie whispered.

Felina kissed soft, golden hair. "I know, but for now, we have to deal with it."

"I love you so much."

"I know. I love you, too." Why else would she agree with that idiot Van Jinx?

Callie sighed and leaned into her. The crisis seemed to be averted for the moment. They went about their evening as normal. They curled up in bed, Callie practically wrapped around her. She loved it.

"I was wondering how are things going with you getting your own team?" Callie asked, fingers playing with the hem of Felina's tank top. "You haven't talked much about it."

Felina inhaled loudly. "There isn't much to talk about. We've got a few guys who are all on board, but I don't think I'll have a full squad. I'm going to meet with the Commander tomorrow to try to figure this out. He seemed like he had some ideas. Diego, too."

She felt Callie nod against her chest. She ran her hand through Callie's hair and tickled the ends of her ears. Callie snorted out a laugh and then "punished" her by lightly hitting her stomach. She was certain it was just an excuse to touch her abs, not that Callie needed an excuse. This was confirmed when Callie lightly scratched her belly.

"Do you still find it hard to call him Diego to his face?" Callie asked.

Felina groaned a little and arched into the scratching. "You know I do. I'm getting better."

"You're gaining a lot of friends. Your pride might get jealous."

Felina laughed. "Only if I blow them off for Diego and Desi will never be my friend."

Callie scoffed. "You keep telling yourself that. You know you like him."

Felina rolled her eyes. She would continue to ignore Desi. After finding out he named his daughter after her, she felt that cemented the fact that he was only interested in her as some weird form of hero worship. He might never get tired of her, like she thought, but she doubted he would ever be a normal friend, even if he wanted to.

"Stop lying to yourself, Lina. He likes you and wants to be your friend and he's going to get in, no matter how much you try to ignore him and dismiss him," Callie said.

Felina's brow furrowed. "Since when can you read my mind?"

There was another scoff. "I've been sleeping with you for a year. You think I haven't learned anything by now?"

"Technically it's been about a year and a half." Callie had slept beside her when she forced her way into living with Felina to make sure Felina rested after being shot three times.

"Even better. The point is, I know you."

Felina nodded. "You do, but you should know this works both ways. This is why I fell on my sword for you."

Callie sighed and pushed herself up, planting a kiss to Felina's lips. "Thank you."

Felina smiled. She had done the right thing, not just for Callie, but for Megakat City. Manx had bled the city dry long enough and Steele was just evil. If the people did not see Callie was the best choice, they deserved whatever happened after that.

-8-8-8-8-

Felina found herself sitting in Commander Feral's office yet again. She had been in his office more since passing her captain's exam than she had in her entire career, including when he tried to fire her for being a lioness. Captain Lidon was there as well. They each flipped through a folder, trying to locate at least one more kat to be in her squad.

"This one is crap. I've met him. He's headstrong, reckless, and yet allergic to heroics." Captain Lidon flung away his folder.

Commander Feral growled and slammed his folder down. "This is pointless. I'm tired of hearing about why Enforcers won't follow Captain Feral. Here's what's going to happen. Felina, you're going to command a new, small unit with experimental aircraft."

The words "experimental aircraft" should not send delightful chills down her spine, but they did. Felina arched an eyebrow, wanting to maintain a cool exterior. "We have experimental aircraft?"

"Planes you're actually familiar with, I'm told. Five planes were given to us after they were removed from the top secret list of aircraft by the colonial government." The Commander went into his desk and pulled out another folder. He slid it to her.

Felina quickly opened the file and saw she was quite familiar with the plane. The Hellcat. The shivers shot down her spine again. She had test flown one many years ago. It had almost crashed. There were so many bugs they had to work out of the system, but it had been glorious to soar when it worked. By the time it was ready for actual air, she was on the road to leaving the air force. It was a thing of beauty and it was surprising the air force parted with it already.

"Five planes." They had more than enough kats for her to have a five plane squad. She might even be able to pilot one, unless they found another qualified pilot to be on her squad. "What would we do?"

"These are big guns, huh?" Captain Lidon said, eyes on the folder in front of Felina. He did not know just how big the guns were on the Hellcats.

The Commander looked Felina in the eyes. "You're the only kat I trust with these planes and if you trust the kats on your squad, that's good enough for me. You'll be who I call for when copter backup isn't enough."

In some places, this would probably upset a pilot, as it sounded like less flight time. But, in Megakat City, Felina knew her squad would be very busy. Then she realized what the point of her squad was.

"You want to get rid of the Swat Kats," Felina said. She doubted this would ever happen, even if she and her squad were the best of the best. The Swat Kats felt like this was their city and she did not have any desire to drive them out of it.

"Of course I do. They're bugs who don't belong in our skies. You're the kat to do it." Commander Feral pointed at her.

Honestly, she was flattered by her uncle's confidence in her, but also ashamed of his thick-headedness. The Swat Kats were necessary and they should just work with them. Megakat City attracted villains only comic books dreamed of. The city needed protection that only comic books could dream of. Of course, her squad in these planes could possibly be that.

"When can we get in these planes?" Felina asked with a grin. She could not wait. Her stomach did flips and she was practically giddy. She could not wait to tell Callie about this.

"Whenever you and your squad are ready," the Commander replied.

"And when you're all done playing with your cool toys, your setup is right across from mine. You could even carry your desk there," Captain Lidon said.

Felina smiled more. It was nice to know she would share a space with Captain Lidon. Any other captain would make sure to make her life hell and probably encourage his squad to make her life hell. Captain Lidon would help guide her in learning the ropes of leading a squad as well as treat her with dignity and respect. This might all work out.

-8-8-8-8-

Felina went home, happy to have some news to tell Callie about her squad. When she entered the apartment, though, Callie was too busy pacing in the living room to even realize she came in. Felina watched the scene for a moment.

"Kit, you okay?" Felina asked as she joined Callie in the living room.

Callie practically fell into her arms. "How was your day, love?"

Felina kissed the top of her head. "My day was fine. You seem a little stressed."

"Introduction speeches are coming up. I need to write my introduction speech. What am I going to write about?" Callie began breathing heavily and clung tighter to Felina.

Felina laughed a little, mentally. She did not want Callie to think she was laughing at her. Carefully, she lowered them both to the couch. She positioned Callie against her chest and allowed Callie to sit in her lap.

"You've written plenty of speeches before. It was part of your never-ending duties as deputy mayor. You've got this," Felina assured her, rubbing Callie's shoulder.

"Writing a speech for him is not the same as writing one for myself," Callie replied, tucking her head under Felina's chin. She felt so small. Felina needed a way to return Callie into the giant she was.

"This should be easier. You get to tell the truth here, your truth. You no longer have to lie for Manx or lie to people. You get to say what you want. I know you worry about if people want to hear it or not, but still you get to say what you want. If people are too stupid to listen to you, then screw them. Still, say what you want to say, what you _need_ to say," Felina stated.

"What if all they hear is 'lioness, lioness, lioness,' which also implies 'female, female, female.' Why did I agree to this? There is no way Megakat City will elect a female mayor, especially one who is a lioness," Callie huffed.

Felina had to shift Callie in her arms until Callie now straddled her lap. She held Callie's hands in hers and looked Callie in the eye. Callie leaned in until they were almost forehead to forehead.

"You listen to me and you listen good, you can handle this. You can handle anything because it is what you do. I know it can be hard to face opposition at every corner, but you punch opposition in the face. You're someone who runs around with the Swat Kats for crying out loud, Callie. You're really going to be scared of what Megakat City thinks of you? First off, you know if they don't listen to you, they're stupid anyway," Felina said.

Callie laughed. "They're stupid? That's your big speech?"

Felina gently poked at the edge of Callie's smile. "It's working. You know you can do this. Look, I know this city can be crappy, but we can fight back. I mean, today, not only did I get my own squad, yes, it's a mini-squad, but still a squad. I also got five Hellcats."

Callie's brow wrinkled a little. "Hellcats?"

"Bitchin' fighter planes. I can't describe it any better than that." Felina had to hold in a chortle and then she decided to let it free. It would improve Callie's mood.

"Did you just… Did my butch, Captain of the Enforcers just giggle like a twelve-year-old kitten?" Callie asked, her eyes shining.

"If you saw these planes, you'd understand. My point being, females and lionesses are making strides. Yes, they're little steps, but they are steps. You can go out there and do this. You could be the best damn mayor this city has ever had and you know it," Felina said.

Smiling, Callie pressed a sweet kiss to Felina's lips. Crisis averted. Felina could not wait for this introduction speech.

-8-8-8-8-

Callie took a deep breath and accidentally bent the papers in her hands. Thankfully, she did not rip them. The rustling seemed to echo throughout the backstage of the auditorium. Nia came over and held her wrists.

"Calm down. It's just the introduction speeches. Say your issues, answer a couple of questions, and you're done. You've been through this before," Nia reminded her in a low, calm tone.

But, she really had not. Manx had done this at his last election, where he ran unopposed. She had written a short speech for him, just to make things look good. He did not need to do it since no one else was running. The issues had not mattered. Now, they did.

Now, she had to say them. She had to say them standing before people who thought so little of her that she could not have her mate by her side. Would they even let her open her mouth before they jeered?

"The crowd might not even be big. You have to remember, Manx has practically been king and people might forget the introduction speeches even happen," Nia said.

Callie nodded, as this was entirely possible. It had been many years since the introduction speeches featured candidates beyond Mayor Manx. There were probably kats who did not know or who could not remember who was mayor before him. But, none of that mattered. She needed to get through this first hurdle of the race.

"Is Felina here?" Callie asked, trying to look beyond Nia, who was taller than she was. Not that it mattered, all she would have seen were the podiums on stage, definitely not Felina. Yes, she was supposed to stay away from Felina in public, but she needed the steady presence now to help her through this bout of nerves.

"She's in the audience by the back door. If you look straight ahead, you'll spot her no problem," Nia replied.

Callie nodded again. Okay, that was good. She could look out into the crowd, lock eyes with Felina, and talk directly to her, but seem like she was addressing everyone. She breathed easy for a moment. And then, her fur stood on end. Turning around, she felt the presence of Steele. The bastard loomed over her, smirking down at her.

"Well, if it isn't the former deputy mayor," he said.

"If it isn't the former lieutenant commander," she countered. They had both been fired, so what was he playing at?

He frowned, like he had not expected her to say that. "Do you honestly think people will elect a freak like you?"

She smirked. "I dunno. You seem confident they'll elect a bastard like you, so a freak should stand a chance."

He flinched and she felt even better about herself. She marched off for the stage at that moment. For this part of the race, all three candidates would give short speeches in front of an audience and the press to explain what issues were dear to them. There would be a chance for questions and answers, but the questions had to stick to issues. Maybe she would escape someone bringing up her being a lioness. She braced herself for corruption inquiries and questions about if someone of her gender could do this job.

Manx was already on stage, sweating bullets. She doubted the recall had him bothered. He had to be nervous about those charges. Anyone with half-a-brain knew the colonial government had Manx. Of course, she never thought Manx had half-a-brain, but he had enough to be scared.

Manx did not greet Callie, which she expected. He was smart politically and knew being seen being nice to an opponent, a former employee he fired, and a lioness would not be good for his campaign.

Once Steele came out, the show got started. Manx went first. He expectedly stuck to business issues. Once he was done, all questions thrown at him had to do with the corruption investigations.

"I'll be cleared of all charges," Manx promised, holding up his hand. Too bad no one told his sweat glands this. "This is all unfounded and the colonial government will definitely see the error of its ways. I'm sure they were just given false information."

And then it was Callie's turn. There were butterflies in her stomach, her blood, and her head for a long moment. But, then she caught sight of beautiful black eyes in the back and found herself settled from just a long across a hall. Felina gave her a thumbs up, which got her to open her mouth with true confidence.

"Good afternoon, I'm Calico Briggs, as many of you must know. I have a list of the top issues I think are important to Megakat City. Like Mayor Manx, I think business is very important to the city, but there has to be a balance. We've lived under a regime that's been very pro-business for years, at the expense of wages, workers, and living space. I'm not looking to limit business, but I would like for there to be a balance between business interests and everyone else's interests.

"Space issues are also quite important to me. The city is very grey. I'm sure we'd all like to see more green. More green and for those places to be safe, so I would also like to provide the city with more of a police presence. Not Enforcers and not private guards. I want police on the ground, patrolling certain public areas and on call should something happen," Callie began.

She also touched on her desires for education and an increased minimum wage. She actually got applauds when she was done. They were scattered and slow, but people still clapped. This was unexpected. Now, she had to wait for questions. Would they ask about her being a lioness or about corruption?

"How can we trust a pervert to make any decisions about our kittens' education?"

Okay, so lioness it was. "I'm not sure where you got your information, but I am not a pervert."

"How can we trust your business practices to be any different to Mayor Manx? Surely you'll just rob the city as he has."

And there was the corruption. She really did not want to deal with corruption charges again. She had only just escaped these accusations after rumors had been going around for over half a year. But, she had to touch on this and try to put it to bed.

"I think we're all aware people have been trying to pin corruption charges on me and all attempts have failed. I have always been honest, law abiding, and will continue to be," Callie stated.

"What makes you think this is a job a she-kat can handle? There are plenty of tough decisions. How can we trust you will not allow your emotions to get in the way?"

And now the female issue. How was she really going to win this thing? There seemed to be so much stacked against her that did not even have anything to do with her politics.

"I am not sure what my gender has to do with anything. I have been in plenty of tough situations and made tough calls, probably more than the two toms I share the stage with, yet you did not ask Manx this question and I doubt you'll ask Mister Steele. If you think my emotions will cloud my judgment, I fear you have not done your research, sir." This got more cheers than anything she said so far.

There were a few more questions, which she calmly answered, even though they were the same versions of her first three questions. Then, her time was up and Steele was on. Predictably, he stuck to law enforcement issues, promising to put even more Enforcers out there to make the city safe. He got the most applauds, possibly because he was the least disgraced, which was sad when Callie thought about it.

Still, at the end of the day, Callie was happy with her performance. Nia and the Onca brothers congratulated her. Even Jinx thought she did a decent job and then he was off to prepare for her individual speeches and map out public appearances. He was gone before she could tell him that she would write her own speeches, but whatever kept him busy. When they were all gone, there was just Felina and an empty hall.

"I'm proud of you, love," Felina said, cupping Callie's cheeks with both hands. She gently rubbed circles with her thumbs. Callie could only smile. This was the only opinion and reaction that really mattered. Of course, those claps earlier felt good, too.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the campaign moves forward.


	6. Up a Tree

I don't own these characters. Well, I do own the Onca brothers and Felina's pride.

6: Up a Tree

Felina did not have to pick up Callie today. She got her car back from Jake and Chance. The car ran smoothly. It was a little saddening. Felina liked the idea of driving her queen to work and picking her up, even if it had been a little awkward for a few days. Chance and Jake had insisted on doing a rush job because "can't have the future mayor carless for her whole campaign, right?" So, after work, she headed straight home and was surprised to find Callie on the couch.

"Hey, kitten. Since when do you beat me home?" Felina went to the sofa and placed a soft kiss to Callie's forehead, mostly to sneak a peek at what Callie was doing. It looked like she was writing something. She was probably at it for a while, too. Callie was already in her house clothes and she had on her glasses. Felina's heart sped up a little and she felt hot, but she did not want to bother Callie just yet. First, she wanted to talk about her day.

"I just had a court date and nothing more, so I came in to start dinner and some other work." Callie pointed in the direction of the kitchen and then flickered the papers in her lap.

Felina squinted as she tried to read through Callie's legal pad scribble. She might actually be writing in another language. "What's the other work?"

"A speech."

Felina leaned over her shoulder. "How can you tell?" She flashed Callie a happy grin.

Callie chuckled a little. "My first drafts always look like this."

"Like the alphabet threw up on your paper?" It was nice to see she did not have to nudge Callie to write any more of her speeches.

Callie smiled. "Yes. I write fast and jot notes everywhere when I write my first drafts. I've got to start working on speeches and establishing my views before Manx or Steele make up lies, so I want to give my first speech as soon as possible."

Felina nodded. "That makes sense. So… this speech writing… would it bother you if I held you while you did it?" Her body hummed with excitement from her day, which she itched to tell Callie about, but she could settle for just holding her love. She did not want to interrupt Callie's flow.

Callie laughed and made a show of sniffing Felina. She then wrinkled her nose. "Only after you shower."

With a grin, Felina leaned in, nuzzling Callie, who giggled lightly and playfully shoved Felina away. "But, I thought you liked me all sweaty and smelly." She delivered several kisses to Callie's neck.

Callie pulled away, almost falling off of the couch to escape. "There's a certain type of sweaty and smelly I like."

Felina laughed, even though she knew that. It was almost impossible to keep Callie off of her when she worked out. Of course, this made her workout longer or start workouts when she knew Callie would be around after she worked up a good sweat. But, there were other ways to get Callie's attention and affection. She might as well go start on those.

Jumping in the shower, she scrubbed with her usual soap, which Callie enjoyed. She might be able to get some quality nuzzling out of Callie. This should not make her feel as giddy as it did, but it had been a very good day. _Is this what happiness feels like?_ She suspected yes and hoped to feel this way more often.

She slipped on a black sports bra and short shorts to show off her legs before returning to the living room. Callie did not even look up from her paper. Felina frowned briefly, but decided to just go ahead with her original plan. _She'll check me out when she's ready as long as I've got her against me_.

Flopping down on the couch and earning a light yelp from Callie, Felina gathered her lover up in her arms. At first, Callie yowled and pulled away, like she forgot what the plan had been in the first place. She put her hand right in Felina's stomach for leverage and then stopped. Felina made sure to flex as Callie looked at her.

"That's not fair," Callie pouted.

"Oh, but it's fair you're sitting in here with your glasses and in my tank top you don't fit and those skimpy little shorts?" Felina snorted. "Oh, that's so fair." She deserved a medal for not taking Callie the moment she came in considering what Callie had on, especially the tank top.

"I think it's time for a break." Callie placed her speech down on the coffee table and turned to basically lie on Felina.

The body contact made them both purr and Callie stretched against her. Felina felt like she could melt through the couch. Instead, she flicked Callie's tail with one hand and caressed Callie's back with the other.

"Any hellos for me?" Felina teased.

Callie smiled and pushed up to kiss Felina. Felina wrapped her arms around Callie to press her closer and enjoyed their kiss. Heaven was Callie's tongue caressing her own. Well, and her hands full of Callie's ass and her hands were planted firmly inside Callie's shorts. She pulled Callie closer still, initiating a slow grind from Callie.

"You're such a distraction," Callie muttered as she pulled away just enough to breathe. Her voice trembled as her hips continued to move.

Felina smiled and then licked her lip as her mate moved against her. "That's exactly how I feel about you. You make it impossible to think, especially when you put on my clothes and you wear those damn sexy glasses." Well, no, she could think, but all of those thoughts had to do with stripping Callie and having her way with her.

"You're so bad." Callie nipped her cheek.

"Says the she-kat riding my thigh," Felina pointed out and it felt glorious. In fact, in a second, she would rip Callie's shorts off along with her own.

"You're pulling me to your thigh." Callie put a hand on Felina's hands, which were still inside Callie's shorts. "How was your day?"

"Really? You want to talk about days right now?" Of course, Felina wanted nothing more than to tell Callie all about her day.

With a smile, Callie stared her down. "Yes, so tell me about your day."

Felina's smile grew and she wiggled a bit. Callie giggled and steadied herself by clutching Felina's side. Felina flicked Callie's tail a bit as she moved her hands from Callie's pants. Callie stopped moving.

"I know you're dying to tell me," Callie said.

"I really am."

Callie grinned at her and took a guess at what had her so happy. "You got to play with your toys?"

"Yes!" Today, she and her small squad got to see their planes. "They're beautiful, Cal! I can't even begin to tell you how amazing they are. It's way better than when I first tested them. And, I get one! I get to be one of those captains who actually goes out into the field and actually lead my squad!"

Callie purposely scrunched up her face and then stared at Felina like she was about to reprimand her. "You didn't say that to Diego, did you?"

Flinching, Felina laughed. "Of course not. I feel bad for him and the other army kats strolling around the Enforcers HQ. The guys who get to be in the tanks and assault vehicles aren't bad, but they don't get to do it as often as they should."

"Well, tell me about your planes and your squad. What did you all do? Pet them for the whole day?" Callie chortled.

Felina could not help it. She laughed loudly and caressed Callie's back to her tail. A soft purr escaped Callie and she nuzzled Felina. This was definitely the perfect day. Her squad was totally with her, they got to meet their planes, and Callie was snuggled against her.

"Oh, crap! Dinner!" Callie shot off of her, ruining the moment.

With a snicker, Felina shook her head. Food would not hurt the day, but she would definitely rather eat her mate after telling her about her aircraft than have dinner. But, dinner was had. Callie indulgently listened to her rant and rave about her new unit and their equipment. Callie barely got a chance to say anything, even though Felina knew she wanted to. Felina just could not stop long enough to let Callie get a word in edgewise.

"I'm glad you're so excited," Callie said as she cleared their dishes.

"Hard not to be," Felina replied. They started on washing everything and Felina continued on about her planes. She just could not help it. Callie smiled as she spoke.

Then, they were back on the couch and Callie went back to her speech. Felina gathered her up again. Callie settled against her, but did not release her notepad. Felina took the hint and just held Callie, making sure not to disturb her. The sound of the pen gliding across the paper caused Felina's ears to twitch every now and then.

"How much more speech do you have to go?" Felina asked as she watched Callie flip the page and start to desecrate another yellow paper with her hurried handwriting.

"I'm at the end. Then, tomorrow I'll revise. Rita and Mel have volunteered to edit for me," Callie answered.

Felina nodded. "You got yourself a good pride." She was happy for her lover, but her stomach fell a bit. "Can I do anything?" She wanted to help.

Callie wiggled a little, settling against her, pulling a groan from deep within her. Callie smirked, very aware of her actions. "You're doing it right now. Do you know how long I was on my own before you? How long it's been since I had any real support? How long it's been since I've had anyone in my corner?"

Felina beamed at the boxing reference and wrapped an arm around Callie's middle. "I want to do more. I mean, I know I'm not smart enough to edit or proofread or anything."

Callie kissed the end of her nose. "You're plenty smart. I don't want you to worry about things that have to do with this campaign. You have your new squad and new toys. Enjoy those and take the city by storm when you get to use them. I'm doing all right with this speech and it's actually fun to write it. You gave me this, so thank you for that. I've forgotten how much I like this."

Felina's brow furrowed. "You like this?" That made sense, for Callie anyway. "You forgot how much you like the courtroom, too. You're a fighter." Her queen was so smart and so tough. It was sexy. Her hand caressed Callie's abdomen, skirting close to the hem of her shorts.

Callie smiled and wiggled a little more, purposely pressing her ass against Felina. "I do love a good fight."

"And I do love you." Felina kissed her cheek. Okay, so still the perfect day. She just wished she could help Callie with her campaign. "I want to be here for you."

"You are. Who do you think I'm leaning against right now? How do you think I'm going to think of an amazing closing for this speech? Because I'm snuggled up against the perfect cushion to help me think and remind me why I can do all of this."

Felina smiled and decided to indulge Callie, just as Callie had indulged her. So, she held Callie tight and just let her fingers trace imaginary lines on Callie while she worked. Okay, fine, perfect day.

-8-8-8-8-

Writing a speech was easy, especially when she could do it in Felina's arms. Delivering said speech, on the other hand, was unfamiliar territory. Standing in front of the crowd in a hot auditorium, in front of the podium, instead of off to the side, was something new. Except for the introduction speech, the last time she had stood before an audience this size to speak was in college. That was too many years ago. Battling in court did nothing to prepare her for this.

The Onca brothers stood off to the side, supporting her. Nia, Rita, and Mel, her pride, stood in the audience. Felina's pride stood in the audience. Still, butterflies conquered not just her stomach, but her chest. Breathing hurt.

Felina was not there. She still had work. This was very poor planning, she thought. If Felina was there, she would be able to focus on her and say the whole speech to Felina. She needed to get through this, though.

"Good morning…" Crap, her voice sounded like she could not breathe, which was very accurate. This might be too much. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled and searched the crowd. She needed to focus on something.

Nia seemed like a good point. Nia must have noticed. She stood up a little taller, not that she needed to. She tended to tower over most kats, even if she was not taller than they were. There was just something about her. She smiled at Callie and made small gesture with her hand for Callie to go on.

"I'm happy to see you all…" Callie felt like her voice still sounded weak. It still felt like her ribs were being pushed into her lungs. The room seemed so much hotter now and it was like all of the air was sucked out of the place. She was close to panting, trying to get good air, trying to save her chest from being caved in.

And then she saw something move in the crowd, almost like a wave. Her eyes tracked the movement and found familiar dark eyes. The butterflies settled and suddenly she could speak as Felina stood in the crowd with Diego Lidon and a small group. Maybe they were members of her squad. Felina was always there for her.

"Seeing this level of support for just my first speech is touching, almost overwhelming," Callie said and it was true.

The audience roared their approval. It was a decent sized crowd, full of lots of young kats. She was already popular with the younger groups. Somewhere out there was her assistant Tiger and his pride, cheering her on. The gathering was larger than any she had ever seen for Manx, but most people did not even bother to show up for him since he was practically king.

There were military supporters there, actually in their uniforms. The military was openly supporting her. The best group of all, though, were the she-kats. There were so many she-kats there to see her. They deserved to see someone they could relate to in a position of power, they deserved to know they could be mayor just like any other tomkat, and they deserved to know they could do anything that a tomkat could do. She had to do this for them and she had to do her best for them, and for lions and lionesses.

"I've come here today just to lay out my mission plan for everyone and for you all to understand that if you elect me mayor, it won't be the second coming of Manx. I would like to push forth many reforms, business and social. No one with a job should live in poverty in this city. You shouldn't have to work two jobs to be considered poor in this city. You should be able to walk the street without fear of being robbed in this city and you should be able to send your kits to play in a park without having to fear if they would come back," Callie announced.

The audience roared again, boosting her confidence. She did not need to sell herself to these folks. They were already with her. She just needed to lay out her game plan to the few who might not be quite there and for those viewing at home. The people who did not come out, they probably were not with her. But, if they heard her plan, they might be more inclined to listen to her.

The sale's pitch could be saved for the debates. There had to be at least three of those before the election, she knew. The debates would also have large, mixed audiences. She wanted some of those kats to at least be ready to switch sides for her by the first debate. She wanted to get a few speeches in before the first one, to have a support base, and to be able to just make her stand while Manx and Steele simply tried to tear her down.

"I would like for Megakat City to have a conventional police force, like other major cities in the colony and other colonies. I'm not saying the Enforcers don't have their place. They do. Megakat City faces issues most other major cities do not, so we need defenses unlike any other city. But, we need regular law enforcement as well. We need police officers walking the streets, preventing crimes, and making the city safer. We need investigators who can work white collar crimes. Do you know the number of kats scammed out of their hard earned money, their homes, and worse this year alone? More than any other city in the entire colony. We hold records for more homicides, suicides, embezzlements, and way too many other crimes in the colony. Megakat City should be the shining star of the colony, rather than the laughingstock," Callie said. The city was considered such a cesspool no one seemed surprised their mayor was a crook.

The crowd applauded again. Yes, these people were certainly with her. Callie could not believe she had a set of followers. She had feared this speech would be to about a dozen people, counting her pride and Felina's pride. But, there was nothing to fear. She just had to be herself and they were with her. If people were already with her without hearing her ideas, she could only imagine what would happen when she got her views out there for all. Maybe this was not an impossible task. Maybe she could beat Manx and Steele and go down in history — the first she-kat to be mayor of Megakat City.

"Change doesn't have to be a bad thing. Our city has been the same for over a decade and it's only gotten better for a few. I would like for it to be better for more. This is why I believe business reform is something that needs to happen. Business has been allowed to grow out of control here, like a raging river after a storm. This river needs a dam. I have no desire to punish businesses for being successful, but we cannot allow them to go unchecked and do whatever they want, especially at the expense of Megakat City citizens. Regulations should not be seen as a dirty word. Rules keep order and civilization thrives under order, which is why government exists in the first place…"

-8-8-8-8-

"Amazing speech," Desi said, clapping Callie on the back as they walked into campaign headquarters.

"It was that. In fact, I'm going arrange for more speaking spots right now," Jinx declared and he was on his phone before they even made it to their work area.

"I think we need to tighten up on social causes," Mel commented, flipping through a small notepad he had. Callie's pride was right behind her, each with their own individual notes on the speech and the crowd. Behind them, was Felina and her pride, checking to make sure everything was all right and they were not followed.

Mara shook her head. "You need to tighten up on security. I figured out at least ten different ways to get to Callie from where I was and put a stop to this whole train ride."

Felina growled. "Yeah, I noticed it, too."

"Okay, well, this is something to work on. This is our first campaign," Desi pointed out.

"Not mine," Callie replied.

"And that's no excuse. This is my mate we're talking about and people already irrationally hate her. It only takes one idiot. We all know that," Felina said.

Before the conversation could go any further, Hernan turned on the television. It was a system of televisions, like in a waiting room. The main television, a large screen on the wall just above the sofa, with two other televisions tucked in corners.

"We should check to see what the media is reporting on the speech," Hernan said.

"We need assignments," Nia decided. There was a lot of work to do and not a lot of them.

Callie nodded. "Indeed."

They did not get a chance to divide any jobs, though. The television caught their attention almost immediately, just standing where they were. Manx was on with several microphones jammed in his face, giving his opinion on Callie's speech.

"Your former second-in-command took time in her speech to point out that her term would be very different from your own. Some have taken that to mean the corruption charges against you are true and she's making a stand to show she's not corrupt, which is why no charges have been brought against her. What do you say to that?"

Manx visibly bristled. The corruption investigation obviously bothered him. "These corruption charges are a farce from the colonial government and you can see that from the simple fact that Miss Briggs hasn't been brought up. As you said, she was once my second-in-command before we had to let her go, on our own suspicions of corruption and her scandals. Just because I've been kind to business doesn't mean I've been involved in any kind of corruption or had kickbacks. Now, if you want to know what I think her crazy proposals, I can tell you now they won't work. She'll push businesses out of the city and leave us all in ruins. We can't afford to let someone come in and start telling businesses what they can do with their products, their people, or their property. Once you start doing that, the business owners pack up and go somewhere else and they take jobs with them. It's naive to think otherwise."

The whole room scoffed. "Did he get his business degree out of a cereal box?" Desi wondered, scratching the top of his head.

"Manx has a business degree?" Felina asked, quite seriously. It never occurred to her that he even went to school.

"He has something. I don't know if it's a business degree," Nia replied.

"It definitely isn't an economics degree," Rita scoffed.

"Whatever it is, I don't think he understands she has three business geniuses on her side and three very amazing legal minds here," Mel commented.

Felina waved their nonsense away. "Can we divide up the work, then? I need to make sure Callie is safe. We need to map out security measures and talk about possibly hiring a security team."

"And we need to figure out how we're going to counter Manx and his statement that Callie's business proposals won't work. We also need to work out what we can take away from today's speech, both the words and the crowd. Brilliant minds, go." Nia put her finger into the air and made a whirling motion.

Callie laughed. Nia was obviously so used to being in charge. Callie had no problem with it, having never been at the top of the food chain. Hernan, though, scowled deeply and folded his arms across his chest, almost in protest. Mel chuckled, but he did not move very quickly either. Nia paused briefly. In prides, there was never one person in charge.

"You all know I will not say please," Nia reminded them with a sneer. They laughed. "Please" was not a word anyone in her pride used much. Hernan did not seem to know the word existed either.

"We do have to do those things anyway," Desi said with a shrug.

Nia moved and everyone else followed her. Felina and her pride, at least the ex air force ones anyway, went to work out security more than likely. Tabby and Penelope joined Callie with the others at a conference table. Notepads, journals, phones, and laptops all came out of different bags. They did not get too far into anything before Steele's face appeared on the television screen. It was time for his two cents.

"I can't wait to be able to shoot down their ideas," Callie snorted.

Tabby arched an eyebrow and scoffed. "You think Steele will have ideas? You have way more faith in that dickhead than I do." Everyone looked at her and she rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm the only one who says dickhead at this table? Let's be serious, kats."

"Yes, let's," Hernan sniffed. They turned their attention back to the television.

"Mister Steele, Calico Briggs has come out as the candidate who plans to be tough on crime, which we had been assured would be your area of expertise. She wants to put more regular police on the street and work on building investigation skills for solving serious crimes. Does this idea seem feasible to you? If not, what is your solution to escalating crime problem in Megakat City, especially violent crimes?"

Steele snickered, like this whole thing was naive and beneath him. "This whole idea of pushing more police onto the city is ridiculous. We have a police force. We only need to expand on what they do. Of course, Miss Briggs would never think of that since she is a civilian. As for the spike in violent crime, this is easily solved by using the Enforcers to their fullest extend. I would expand on them, beyond what Commander Feral has done and without having to create a new police force like Miss Briggs would like to do. It saves the taxpayers money."

"It's not a bad plan," Mara commented. She, Felina, Blue, and Katarina had made themselves at home right on the floor. They all had notepads between them, jotting down security ideas and working out who should be where when Callie went out.

"Except the Enforcers are for big threats. We're trained almost in the same way the air force trains us. The Enforcers guidelines are all about dealing with enemies of the city. We wouldn't know where to begin handling a simple robbery and we damn sure don't know what the word 'allegedly' means. If the Enforcers are after, you're guilty as hell," Felina replied.

"Besides, they wouldn't be able to investigate crimes," Callie chimed in from across the room.

Katarina grinned at Felina. "You guys too stupid to investigate? No wonder you weren't an MP."

"Shut up." Felina shoved Katarina enough to knock her over.

"This does sound like a problem. Why hasn't anyone done anything about this before, Madam Mayor?" Mara asked.

"Money," Tabby chimed in.

Mara arched an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"It would cost too much money and they're busy stealing the money. Keep up, muscle-head," Tabby replied and threw a pencil at Mara. Mara hissed at her, openly baring her teeth.

"Now, now, kittens, don't make me have to separate you," Nia chimed in. She glanced over at Mara, probably to make sure she was unharmed.

"Can we please focus?" Callie looked back and forth between both groups.

"No," Felina, Katarina, Mara, Blue, and Tabby all said.

Desi laughed. "I love this already!"

Hernan looked less than impressed, which Callie could understand. She was far from amused as well. She sent a glare over to Felina, who straightened up and put her head down. She got her other knuckleheads in line and Tabby refocused on their group.

"All right, so we need to come up with schematics for your business outline. Something that won't scare off businessmen," Hernan said.

"I am aware," Callie replied. She narrowed her gaze at him a little. He seemed to think he was the smartest guy in the room at all times. It was grating.

"Then, connect with Felina and we can come up with a working law enforcement idea," Mel said.

Callie nodded. "Sounds quite good."

Nia turned to Jinx. "Sir, you might want to call up any press connections you have and get them to start fact-checking Manx and Steele."

Jinx scowled. "I was about to do that." He snorted and then turned his attention back to his phone.

"I'll start listening in on speeches and soundbites from your rivals and we'll work on your rebuttals for them," Rita volunteered. "I've also texted Tiger and told him this is now his job for the remainder of the campaign."

"Was he sassy with you or did he just jump to it?" Callie asked.

Rita rolled her eyes. "He's only sassy with you because you don't know what's best for the rest of us."

There was a break in their conversation because Steele was not done yet. "Calico Briggs is a joke. Her campaign is a joke. No kat would vote for this perverted she-kat. She wants us to think she knows about crime, but what she really wants is to make a police force who would allow kats like her to get away with their crimes."

"Crimes?" Katarina practically roared, jumping to her feet. Everyone at the conference table looked over at them.

"Kats are committing crimes against us!" Mara pointed to her chest.

"I can do research on your opponents, so you know your enemies," Penelope said. "Let's get this bastard." Callie could not help laughing.

"Well, Penny's fired up. We gotta get it done now," Felina declared. Callie felt the same way. Steele had cracked Penelope out of her shell and opened them up. It was time to get busy, time to make sure she won, because no one else would protect the powerless like she planned to.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: debates.


	7. Socializing

I don't own these characters.

7: Socializing

A little over a week into the recall race, lines were drawn and the candidates had established their positions. Callie felt she had the most dynamic campaign for the simple fact that she had several issues. Manx stuck to business and denying corruption charges while Steele stuck to law enforcement and name calling to discredit her. They had all been drawing crowds of different types. Today, all those types would be mixing as it was their first on stage debate.

"You nervous?" Felina asked Callie, grabbing her into a hug from behind.

Callie was in front of their mirror in the bedroom in her underwear. She had been trying on different outfits for the debate. She needed to find something perfect, so she would not have to hear Jinx's mouth. In the past week, he had been trying to control her life. It was not possible, but it tickled Felina while annoying the hell out of her.

"I've never done a debate before," Callie replied, pushing into Felina. She knew this would not help her pick an outfit, but it would help calm her down.

Felina kissed her neck. It sent a pleasant thrill down her spine to the end of her tail. She caressed her lover's cheek with her tail. Felina grabbed the end of it and brushed it with her thumb. Callie leaned in against Felina even more and sighed.

"But, you've been in court quite a few times," Felina said, planting her hand against Callie's stomach. Her fingers scratched at Callie's belly a little.

Callie let out a little mew. If she were not careful, they would get off track. "This is true, but it's not exactly the same thing."

Felina nuzzled her and nipped her neck. "You'll be fine."

"Will you be there?" Callie wished Felina could be on stage with her or at least in the front of the audience. Instead, she had to be lost in the sea of strangers and Callie had to seek her out. It was not fair, but it worked. The only person bringing up her being a lioness was Steele and there did not seem to be much traction to it right now. It was almost like kats forgot she had been outed.

"I'll be there. I'll sit with my usual band of misfits. I also promised to bring the Captain along. She'll make sure we're not rowdy," Felina promised.

"I thought you wouldn't be as rowdy since you'd be with your squad and not your pride." Callie knew Felina could not be rowdy when she had to be Captain Feral, as she would have to be with her squad in the audience.

Felina smiled. "Okay, fine. The Captain just wants to check it out. She says you're impressive on TV and she wants to see you in person."

Callie stood up a little taller. It was a bit of a stroke to her ego to know one of the highest ranking she-kats in the air force thought she was impressive. She moved, going to find another outfit. She wanted to be just as impressive to everyone.

Felina whimpered when Callie moved out of her arms. "Mara, Katarina, and Blue are going to work security for you, okay? Nia and Hernan both agreed on the layout they came up with and thought it was best to use people we could absolutely trust."

"Isn't that why you suggested they hire your pride?" Callie pointed out, going back to looking at her clothes. She had never been happier to know so many kats with military training.

"Well, I can't just have anybody watching my mate on stage. For all I know, some outside kat might take a shot at you his damn self."

Callie did not dispute that. She knew the danger all too well. Felina trusted her pride and Callie was fairly certain they would not let her down. She was not sure if she could trust strangers to protect her, considering it was strangers who most often harassed her. Beyond that, it was already nice to know her campaign was doing something to help lions and lionesses, by employing several of them.

"Do you think this suit is all right?" Callie returned fully dressed and looked at herself in the mirror. It was one of her best suits, three piece and a lovely shade of blue. It went well with her eyes, according to Felina.

"You slay in this suit, kit. Your words will probably be too much for them. The audience won't know what hit them," Felina replied with a smile.

Callie stood a little taller again. Felina believed in her. This would be fine. So far, things were fine when Felina believed in her. So, it was time to go.

-8-8-8-8-

Standing in front of the audience was not as nerve wrecking as Callie thought it would be, but she had given three speeches already. And while this was not like court, she could see it in the same light. She had to make an argument. There was an audience, in front of her, instead of behind her like in court. Some of that audience was for her, some of it was not. And, there were two prosecutors for the city instead of the one. She could handle this.

But, still, to settle herself, she immediately searched for Felina. It was never hard to spot Felina in a crowd and not because Felina was flanked Captain Amelia Thompson or Captain Diego Lidon. Callie could just sense Felina in a crowd and the thought sent warm waves through her.

"Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Ann Gora and I will be proctoring this first of at least three mayoral debates in the recall election. Our candidates are Mayor Claude Manx," she paused as there were applauds. "Miss Calico Briggs." She paused again for cheers.

Callie had to fight down a blush. She doubted she would ever get used to so many people actually clapping for her. She had captured the attention of plenty of young people in the city. Surprisingly enough, even more she-kats stood with her now than when she first started, even with the chance of being labeled lionesses. It was a good start, but not enough to put her over the top. But, she had two and a half months to change other hearts and minds.

"And finally Mister Peter Steele," Ann finished. There were some applauds for him, not as loudly as for Callie or Manx. This gave Callie a shot of confidence, but it would still be quite a bit of work to defeat Manx.

With introductions done, the debate started. Ann eased them into things with simple questions about business. Manx used very little time and answered as expected, wanting to keep his laissez faire style of business going. Steele did not have much in offering of a rebuttal, but Callie used her whole minute to explain why that system did not work. She got a few applauds for it, but they were scattered, unsure.

"Are we really just going to listen to this pervert?" Steele blurted out. And, he showed the true nature of his supporters as they cheered him loudly for this. Oh, so he had all of the assholes backing him. Not surprising.

"Mister Steele, that is far from appropriate for this discussion," Ann reprimanded him, but he smirked just the same since there were kats with him.

Manx actually scowled in Steele's direction and shook his head. Callie felt a little proud of Manx in that moment. Unfortunately, she knew that feeling would not last and it had little to do with this debate. It was just she knew he was guilty of every crime and more that the colonial government charged him with.

The debate continued on. Callie was able to discuss her business plan. Manx offered up what was now his usual argument as to why Callie's plan would not work — businesses would just move elsewhere. Steele did not have much to say on this, proving business was not his strong point. Callie was not sure if this was a good or a bad thing. Businessmen might think they could use and manipulate Steele and decide to back him if the colony made their case against Manx. Of course, Manx seemed confident that would not happen, which was why he had the gall to run again.

"We all know these corrupt, dishonest piece of trash don't plan to do anything right for us," Steele snapped, motioning to her and Manx. He got more applauds.

"Mister Steele, this is the second time. If you interrupt or skirt the rules once more, I will have you removed from this session," Ann warned him.

"Anything you say, doll." Steele had the nerve to wink at her.

Ann scowled at him, probably held in a hiss. Steele really was a bastard. Ann managed to keep her cool and move on, though. Law enforcement and crime was next, which was obvious. It would seem Ann was going to let them discuss things they were comfortable with and then she undoubtedly would get tougher with each topic.

Manx took pride in the Enforcers and just spoke on them as far as law enforcement went. Steele went on and on about how he would change the Enforcers; he actually used the word "enhance." Callie rolled her eyes and talked about her idea of a general police force. Kats seemed to like her idea, but then again, they seemed to like Manx's and Steele's ideas as well.

Callie got to truly shine when Ann started with the harder things, like the high homeless rate of the city. Manx had nothing for that, especially since it happened under his reign. Steele did not seem to know what she was talking about. Callie had enough answers, though. Manx was able to rebut her, though, because she brought up business again. Steele was silent. This happened with several social issues.

-8-8-8-8-

"Okay, the debate was good," Jinx declared with a crooked grin as the group settled into the campaign HQ right after the debate. Before the debate, he almost got smacked when he dared to say he approved of Callie's suit, like she wore it because she wanted his approval.

Felina snorted. "Good? That's the understatement of the century. My queen crushed it!" She grabbed Callie from behind and pulled her close, not caring about there being an audience.

Callie laughed as Felina gave her a good squeeze. Jinx sneered at them. Callie was not sure if he had a problem with lionesses, but she did not care. He was an annoyance and Felina was her strength.

"We should capitalize on this. I would suggest trying to build your business backers. We've had a few little get-togethers, but you need something for the power players. You made good points today and I'm sure a few would be willing to jump ship, especially when Manx goes down," Jinx said.

Nia curled her lip from the sofa. She rapidly seemed to grow to dislike Jinx. "As poorly as that was put, I think old Jinxie is right and I have just the thing for you."

"You were sitting on that?" Callie asked. She doubted it. Nia was probably waiting for a dramatic moment.

"Oh, please." Nia's amber eyes rolled and waved the question off. "You know I would never. I just did not know how to approach this subject with you."

Callie's brow furrowed as she turned a little to focus on Nia without getting out of Felina's embrace. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you would be expected to bring a date," Nia said dryly.

Callie tensed and Felina yanked her closer. Okay, well, that did complicate matters. She knew how these parties could be and it was best to have an escort. There was always someone there to save the conversation or her if necessary.

"You should definitely go," Jinx jumped in.

"It would be a good way to get good business contacts," Desi said. He was parked at the conference table with his brother, Mel, Rita, Tabby, and Penelope. Tiger moved around the room, making sure everyone had a beverage. He was a great assistant. He always made sure they came into snacks and he already knew everyone's favorite drink.

"Plus, I would be there to look out for you and introduce you to friends," Nia said.

"That's pretty disrespectful to Felina, though, isn't it?" Mara jumped in with a frown. Felina nodded toward her pride sister.

"Thank you!" Tiger chimed in, earning a glare from Nia. He tucked his head and went back to serving drinks.

"No one is saying you would actually date the guy. This would be a simple escort. He should be very aware he's a mane," Nia replied. Mara and Katarina shook their heads before looking at Felina, obviously still supporting her.

"This could work out so well. We all know how well connected Nia is. You have to use her as a resource and going with a date doesn't have to be a horrible thing. Take someone safe who you can be photographed with," Jinx said.

"Now, this is just lying," Blue replied.

Jinx turned. "How is this lying? No one is saying she's actually dating this unnamed male. He would just be someone for her to show up with. If you want, she could take Tiger."

"No, she can't! Tiger very much likes to be alive," Tiger replied.

Mara looked him up and down. "And Felina could break you in half very easily, young kit."

Tiger scoffed. "You think I don't know that? I've already resolved to let all of you fight any battles I have."

Katarina chuckled. "We've got your back, little kit."

"Can we stay on track here? Callie, you should definitely do Nia's event. It can only help your campaign and I know Felina would never want to stand in the way of your campaign," Jinx said, giving Felina a long look.

Felina growled, but she did not say anything. She held Callie close and this was enough of an answer. If Felina truly had a problem with this, she would have said something as soon as the topic came up. Felina did not want to stand in the way of her campaign and Callie did need more businesspeople to get behind them.

Callie scowled. "But, who would I go with?" She swallowed while Felina nuzzled her and kissed her neck. Everyone of Felina's pride sisters, except for Penelope, made a face at the display.

"Hernan can look after you and be your plus-one," Desi volunteered with a bright look.

Hernan blinked. "Me?" He actually looked frightened.

Felina relaxed a little, so maybe this was not such a bad idea. Hernan was probably not very threatening to her. He lacked a personality and he was in her debt. Not to mention, he was the less likable Onca brother.

"Sure, it'll get you out from behind your desk," Desi said.

"And it keeps a kept she-kat from stepping out on her mate," Katarina added.

"It's also not forcing a she-kat to do something with someone she doesn't like," Penelope said. This made Callie wince a bit. She had not considered how terrible this conversation had to be for Penelope.

"Best of all, it helps kats forget about you being a lioness and makes Steele look like a bigger asshole," Jinx said. Okay, so Callie might get to like him, a little.

"Should we all just high-five now?" Desi grinned, somewhat giddy over this. Everyone rolled their eyes to him.

Somehow, just like that, it was settled. The idea unsettled Callie, though. Felina was quiet for the rest of the day, but stayed close. As soon as they got home, Callie addressed this.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Callie asked as Felina shut the door behind them.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Felina replied.

Callie blinked. "Ask me?" _Why the hell would she need to ask me that? She's the one who's possessive… Okay, we both are, but I'm the one who would have to go out with Hernan_. She groaned in her head.

Felina laughed and pulled her close. Callie sighed and settled against her. The powerful body pressed against her reassured her. Everything would be fine.

"I know you can't stand Jinx and Hernan is about as interesting as white paper. Beyond that, we both know we hate the idea of others touching us or disrespecting our relationship. I want you to know, I understand," Felina said.

Callie purred and turned, rubbing her cheek against Felina's. "I hate this idea of having to hide you. I love you so much and I want everyone to see it."

"I love you, too, and I told you I want you to chase your dreams. Be elected mayor and then you can show me off all you want. Hell, I'll show up everywhere in tank tops."

Callie looked up at her with wide eyes as heat shot down her every nerve. "You wouldn't."

"Tank tops and short-shorts. You can tell every kat in the room, I could break him in half if I felt like it and then I'll flex for you."

Callie laughed. "I'm sure that would be you. You'd also growl at any kat that got close to me and I'm sure he'd back off."

"He'd better."

"Clearly, Tiger made the right choice for his life when he declined this mission."

Felina grinned. "Damn right he did."

Callie smiled a little, but she was still somewhat unsettled by this idea of going out places with Hernan as her… mane? Was that what this was? She was now hiding behind a mane, like some closet case? While she did not like how she was outed, she was out now. She was free, except she was not all of a sudden.

"I don't know how to go back into the closet," Callie realized with wide eyes. Now that she was out, she did not understand any other way to be. No other way made sense.

"You're not in the closet. Think of it as a friend escorted you to a business dinner and this friend can talk business better than I ever could. Hernan is more comfortable at these things than I'll ever be. Besides, he might actually act normal among others more like him," Felina joked.

Callie forced out a laugh. She had seen Hernan work a room at parties and it was much better than watching him try to interact with people in normal situations. He was married to his work, so he could network with the best of them and talk deals with anyone. He would definitely be better at it than Felina, who would undoubtedly be uncomfortable in very unfamiliar territory.

"Fine, but you better start polishing your dress shoes because once I'm mayor, you'll be doing this," Callie said, pointing at Felina.

Felina grinned. "I think we might be better off hiring Hernan to do this permanently."

A playful scoff escaped Callie. She was more comfortable with this idea now that she understood Felina would not be comfortable there. Of course, if Felina could escort her without endangering the campaign, she would. Felina was just that type of she-kat. One of the many reasons to love her. So, it looked like she would be going to a business party with Hernan. Joy.

"I think you might have to psych me up for this more," Callie said.

With a grin, Felina picked Callie up with ease. "I have no problem with doing that. Anything else you need psyching up for?" she asked as she carried Callie toward their bedroom.

-8-8-8-8-

Felina and her squad got their first taste of action when Doctor Viper decided to resurface with an army of creeping things to take over the city. His creations had a failsafe in them, which was they exploded into toxic gas when destroyed. Of course, her uncle went at the idea with a shoot first, ask questions later mentality, as he always did. Thankfully, the streets had been cleared before that, but they did not know how long the gas would hang around in the air.

Fortunately, Felina had learned a great deal from watching the Swat Kats and from being in combat situations all over the world. Sometimes, ammunition was needed that would not destroy a body. Her mechanical specialist, the one Deigo had insisted upon, had equipped their five Hellcat planes with what she called frostbite missiles. They worked just as well as the little spitfire — Felicia Toyger — bragged they would. Felina could learn to like that kit.

Felina piloted the lead plane and her gunner took out a bunch of the creeps. The other planes followed her lead. The Swat Kats showed up, as expected, and did the same. Of course, Commander Feral ordered planes on the Swat Kats as soon as everything was all right. Felina, on the other hand, thanked them for the cooperation as they made their getaway. They did things up nice.

When Felina and her squad landed, the press was there. Felina had no desire to talk with the media. They left a bad taste in her mouth a year ago, after the outing. Some of the press had been friendly, but too many of them had carried on prejudices about lionesses and pushed the corruption rumors about Callie. Too many of them were more interested in a story than the truth.

Felina slipped away while her squad ate up the press, grinning for the cameras and talking into anything that looked like a microphone. She did not mind them enjoying the attention. They deserved it.

Felina returned to their little corner of HQ. Felicia was in her face before she got a chance to sit down. How this skinny, tiny she-kat turned into an airplane mechanic without being in the air force herself was a mystery to Felina, but she knew all she had to do was ask and Felicia would tell her whole life story. Felina did not have the time for that just yet.

"How'd it go? How were the planes? How'd they perform? How were the guns? The weapons? Were they good? How was it? Everything was smooth?" Felicia bounced on her heels as she spoke.

Felina could not help smiling. "I'm going to have to train you to ask one question at a time. Everything went fine. The planes were amazing and everything you did to them was fine. Everything performed at top level. Here, let's see what's goes on." She turned on the television in the corner for Felicia to see their squad doing interviews.

"Holy catnip! We're on TV!" Felicia actually clapped and jumped up and down like an excited kitten.

Felina laughed, but turned to listen to what their guys had to say. She was happy Felicia felt so close to their squad to say "we're on TV," even though she was just in their squad corner.

"This was Captain Feral's first mission. Do you think she did well?" a reporter asked Felina's gunner, Grayling Shoe. He was a pretty built kat with sharp eyes set in a gray face. His parents obviously were not very creative when they had him, but he was a great guy.

"Captain Feral is brilliant. She was prepared for this nonsense before we even went out and she adapted as soon as new intelligence came in. I couldn't be prouder to work under her," Grayling boasted, squaring his shoulders. He was also a former air force pilot. They actually served in the same area during a war ten years ago, but had never met until joining the Enforcers.

"It doesn't bother you to be working under a she-kat?" the reporter actually asked.

Before Grayling could answer, Li Somali jumped on his back with a wide grin. "Bother us? Hell, no! Don't you mangy morons get it? This makes her even more badass! Glass ceiling, shattered! First mission, destroyed! My captain is better than your captain!" Li pointed to the cameras and stuck his tongue out. His flying was just as crazy as his behavior. How his partner, gunner Raas Sib, survived in the plane with him was a mystery. Hopefully, they would work as well together on other missions as they did today.

With a grin, Felicia puffed out her narrow chest. "He's right."

"As crazy as he sounds, he's right. Our captain is amazing and we're more than proud to work for her. The fact that she's a she is actually better because it means she worked at least twice as hard as any of us to get here. We respect that," Grayling stated. "Oh, and we respect our mechanical genius, Felicia Toyger, who made sure our Hellcats were souped for anything and they were able to function properly in this first outing."

Felicia squealed and clapped. "He said my name!"

These guys would be a living headache, Felina knew that. But, she would love every second of it. Her squad was small, loyal, and true. She would give them her all, which included taking them out for drinks and dinner when they finally came in. They celebrated down at one of the few places that would serve her without having to be threatened.

"Whatever these kats are drinking. It's all on me," Felina announced as they took up several booths. They were a small squad, but a big group for a bar.

"Food, too?" Li requested with a toothy grin.

Felina laughed. "Yes, food, too, if you consider bar food actual food."

Several pitchers of beer milk and way too many hot wings were delivered to them. Her squad devoured everything, though. Grayling settled down next to her.

"It really is a pleasure to serve under you, you know that, right?" Grayling said.

"I know it's true for you guys," Felina replied. She already loved them and they had only just went out on a mission. The fact that they had no problem coming out to support Callie with her was better than anything else they could ever do. So, she smirked and chortled just a bit.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"I'm glad you guys are my squad. I'm going to do my best to always do right by you," Felina replied.

"That sounds like a toast!" Li came out of nowhere raising his glass.

Felina arched an eyebrow. "Is he drunk already?" She doubted it and when everyone laughed, she knew the answer.

They all raised their glasses as Felina stood up, holding up her own glass. She looked out at the dozen-plus kats of her squad. She smiled at them and they all smiled back.

"Guys, we handled that first mission excellently and I couldn't be prouder of you today. You've already proven to be an awesome squad. You've been there for me and I will always be there for you, to the point that when Li undoubtedly gets arrested, I will be the one bailing him out," Felina said and they all laughed. "To many more successful missions and many more celebrations in hopefully better establishments."

"Yeah!" They all cheered and everyone gulped down their beers.

Felina did not stick around for long, even though her crew was having a good time. She just wanted to go home and tell Callie about her day. So, she slipped away, after making sure it was clear whatever tab her squad ran up would come to her.

Felina forgot that Callie was not home, though. She came in, buzzing with energy, ready to embrace her mate and tell her all about how awesome everything was. But, she came home to an empty apartment. Callie's business party had already started. So, plans had to be changed.

"Hey, Katarina," Felina said into her phone. "Wanna go get a couple of beers?" Not that she needed any more beer in her system.

"Sure. Devon's working. Let's get Mara and the others and go bug her," Katarina replied.

This sounded like a great plan. She could at least tell her pride about her day. They would also distract her from the idea that her queen was out with a kat. She doubted Hernan would try anything and she did not doubt Callie, but this still gnawed at her.

"Saw you on TV today. Looking good!" Katarina slapped her on the back as they all met up outside of the bar.

Blue punched her hard in the shoulder. "Your squad was all singing your praises like you're actually somebody."

"You even kept up with the Swat Kats." Mara tossed an arm around her shoulder and pulled Felina close.

Felina rolled her eyes. "You mean they kept up with us." Of course, this was far from true. Her squad kept up with the Swat Kats, but if they logged in enough hours, it would be true eventually.

"Why aren't you out with your squad anyway?" Tabby asked as they piled into a booth.

"I was out with them this afternoon. Hell, they might actually still be spending my money. I forgot Callie wasn't home, though, and left wanting to be with her," Felina explained with a shrug.

With a light laugh, Tabby leaned onto the table and rested her cheek in her hand. "When the hell did you get this cute?"

Katarina smirked. "Obviously when she got a mate."

Felina rolled her eyes, but she was used to this type of ribbing from them. A night of it would distract her from Callie being out. Her pride did not let up for the entire night while Penelope actually tried to defend her and her relationship.

-8-8-8-8-

Nia might as well have been her date for this party, Callie thought. It was beyond the fact that Nia had actually color-coordinated with her, both wearing violet dresses. Nia hardly wanted to leave her on her own, even though she had attended many gatherings like this when she was deputy mayor. It seemed like every few minutes, Nia wanted to drag her off to meet someone. She already knew quite a few people there. Some were inclined to talk to her while others pretended she did not exist.

Hernan stuck close. He did not talk much, just watched Callie talk. It was fine. She did not need him to interject really and it was nice to see he actually did not feel the need to dominate the room like she thought he would. He seemed to think it was her moment to sell herself and he let her.

"Hernan, Nia was telling me you were here with a beautiful female on your arm. I couldn't believe her," a large, tawny kat said as he approached. Callie was vaguely familiar with him since he did not interact much with Mayor Manx. He was Richard Leonhart. A multi-billionaire who was a little older than Nia. He was dressed in a three-piece navy blue suit that probably cost more than Callie made in a month.

Hernan scoffed. "Still sniffing at Nia, Richard? She'll never go for it. You were her husband's rival, after all, making you her rival. Plus, she knows that tie is hideous."

Richard laughed around a cigar in his mouth and he brushed off his rather hideous tie. "She-kats like Nia like a strong male to chase her."

Callie snorted. "No, sir, I think that's something tomkats like to tell themselves so they can continue to chase annoyed she-kats."

Hernan glanced at her, like he did not expect her to say that. Callie did not spare him a look, keeping eyes on Richard. His golden eyes flashed and then he laughed again.

"Is that why you're interested in she-kats? They don't tell themselves things to keep chasing you?" Richard inquired with an arched eyebrow.

Callie rolled her eyes. "I'm only interested in one she-kat and she very much respects my boundaries."

"And yet you're here with Hernan," Richard commented, motioning to him. "Although, you two do cut a charming couple."

"I'm much better at blending in here. We wouldn't want Felina Feral showing you all up with her rock hard abs against your potbellies," Hernan retorted and he made a show of looking down at Richard's stomach. "Not to mention, I'm sure she looks better in a suit than most of us."

Now, Callie glanced at him. She could not believe he just said that. Richard scowled. Maybe this was out of line. It made Hernan a little more interesting to her, though.

Richard suddenly laughed again. "You're right about that. I could only imagine what the room would be like once that rock star walks in here."

It was Callie's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Rock star?" _What sort of heroics has Felina done now?_

"Well, for some of us who appreciate the fact that she dove in front of bullets to save the two knuckleheads." Richard motioned to Hernan.

Hernan rolled his eyes. "They like to treat me and Desi as if we're the kittens of their new money club."

"Well, I am old enough to be your father," Richard pointed out.

"Then, be a good dad and back our candidate for mayor. Manx is on the way out and Steele's a moron. Callie is our best chance," Hernan replied.

Richard smiled. "You think Nia hasn't talked my ear off about this already? She is Callie's biggest champion amongst us oldies. If anything, Hernan, you need to walk her around to your group, the young knuckleheads. They're more willing to listen to Manx than her. I've heard some of them even want to back Steele." He seriously shuddered as he spoke those words. Callie could understand.

Hernan nodded and he did just that. Callie was surprised. He did not seem as committed to this cause when they were in the campaign HQ, but now that he had a purpose, he was on it. Nia even backed off and just let him work. Well, let them work. Whenever Hernan put her in front of someone, Callie poured on the charm and they walked off with just enough thoughts to consider the problems with runaway business and why they should back her. The night went well and then around eleven breaking news made sure things would probably go even better for her. Unfortunately, it was at Manx's expense.

"Breaking news, Mayor Manx was just arrested on multiple counts of corruption, fraud, tax evasion, and even racketeering charges." Pictures of Manx being taken from his multi-million dollar townhouse with his hands cuffed behind his back. He was flanked by two colonial investigators with their badges on their hips, leading him to a black SUV through an ocean of reporters, microphones, and flashing lights.

Callie could hardly believe her eyes when Manx disappeared into the SUV. But, while she watched Manx, everyone watched her. Hernan smiled and leaned in close.

"Time to really show off and let them know what they're about to get behind," Hernan whispered. He was right. These guys were now hers to lose.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: it's now Callie versus Steele and Steele comes out swinging.


	8. Bite

I don't own these characters. Well, except for Tiger, Katarina, Mara, Blue, Grayling, and any other original character I forgot.

8: Bite

"Felina, did you see Manx get arrested?" Callie said as soon as she entered their apartment.

Of course, Felina had seen and heard about it. Most of her squad called complaining about how Manx stole their fifteen minutes of fame. Hell, he stole _her_ fifteen minutes of fame. This was what Callie would want to talk about all night now, not Felina's first outing with her squad and definitely not how they might actually end up better than the Swat Kats. _Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating there, but we can become famous in our right_.

"Yes, I saw Manx get arrested. They're pulling out a bunch of other members of his staff. I guess they want to round everyone up at once to avoid anyone fleeing," Felina replied as she got up off the couch to meet Callie.

Callie practically fell in her arms. Felina had to breathe in the scent of her flowery perfume, more heady than any catnip. She just wanted to bury her nose in Callie's hair, neck, and other places, inhaling her scent for the rest of the night.

But, there was more to delight in. Her queen was wrapped in soft, violet material that hugged her just right and Felina would not even be allowed to enjoy it. Others had enjoyed it. Others got this feast for their senses and undoubtedly lusted for her beautiful mate, but Manx stole this chance from her. _Damn him_.

"They're arresting more people?" Callie moved away from her and went right to the sofa, wanting to see the television.

Felina held in a whimper. She looked down at her hands, thinking about how they just held Callie practically gift wrapped for her. Taking a deep breath to help her get over it, she turned to at least look at Callie.

"His chief of staff. What the hell was that guy's name again?" Felina knew his name, but hated to say it aloud. He was the one who led the charge in firing Callie. In short, _fuck him_. She hoped they threw him under the prison.

Callie did not answer. Her eyes were glued to the television as they continued on about the City Hall officials who were under arrest and the charges they were likely to face. Felina saddled up next to her and gathered her in her arms. Callie at least leaned into her, but her eyes did not leave the television.

"I can only imagine what the press will be asking," Callie sighed, resting a hand against Felina's thigh.

"Your phone not ringing yet?" Felina thought that was strange. Surely someone wanted a statement from the former deputy mayor who used to work waist deep in this corruption. Someone had to want to know why Callie had not been arrested. Hell, even someone from the colonial government, wanting to see if Callie would be a witness in this case.

Callie blinked and then pulled back. "I put it on vibrate for the party!" Opening her clutch, Callie pulled out her phone. It was vibrating at that very moment.

Felina was quiet as Callie answered the call. Her mind whirled with reasons for why Callie could not feel her phone vibrating in her clutch purse. The purse was not big by any stretch of the imagination and should have moved with the phone in it. Callie should have known she was getting calls. Felina shook those thoughts away and turned to Callie again. Callie had a frown on her face.

"The press?" Felina asked in a low voice.

Callie nodded. "Wanting to know when I'll be dragged down for corruption and whatnot."

With a loud scoff, Felina rolled her eyes. "Too many of them want to watch you burn."

Callie only sighed and then turned her attention back to the phone call. "I suggest you hold your breath until I'm arrested and also take your unflattering headlines with you." She clicked the call off.

Felina chuckled. "Oh, you're trying to kill kats."

Callie's lip curled in disgust. "They're fools. This is last year all over again. But, those bastards had merely lied about the corruption and now they're waiting like sharks in the water for it to be true."

"Do you think Manx or any of his staff might lie about you now?" Felina would burn them all if they tried.

"They won't dare. Remember when I took all those files from the office?"

Felina nodded. "I'll never forget. After all, they fired you right after." The bastards. Of course, her own uncle tried to do the same to her, but that did not make things any better.

"Those files show a little more of the dealings going on in city hall. Beyond Manx's staff, but also businessmen. It's enough to get a lot of people looked into. When they couldn't find the files, they knew someone had to have them."

Felina frowned a little. "So, you have files on potentially deadly enemies?" _Damn it, I will have to destroy a lot of people if they come after her over this_.

Callie shrugged. "Life is potentially deadly, love. Besides, most of the kats know the files aren't as serious as other people think. It's more for those handful who might try something."

Felina shook her head. "No way you grabbed files that aren't 'as serious as people think.' You were trying to protect yourself. You don't have to protect me, kitten. I do that for you."

Callie snickered and kissed her. "It runs both ways, my love."

Felina wished she could argue that, but her mate was right. "Will the colonial government find out that you're holding onto evidence?"

"I doubt anyone will tell them I have them. I should be on guard in case the government does call me as evidence. While I plan to cooperate, I will probably have to downplay my knowledge."

"Or face accomplice charges?" Felina was not sure that would stick. Callie might have vague knowledge about a crime, but she did not participate in them on any level.

"No, but I will definitely be badgered about why I never came forward. Beyond that, I can always remind them, it took the government decades to figure this out. How was I supposed to know what was happening while being there a few years?"

Felina chuckled a little. "This is true." She had to kiss Callie. "I love your mind, you know that?"

With a smile, Callie returned the kiss. "I know. Now, excuse while I take more horrible phone calls."

Felina sighed, but she should have known better. "How did I get a queen like you?"

Callie scrunched up her face and regarded Felina with a raised eyebrow. "You're the one who jumped in front of bullets for me."

Felina smiled. "That was my job. You're the one who decided to come take care of me."

This earned her a scolding head shake. "Well, someone had to. You and your idiot uncle seemed to think you'd just walk it off."

This only made Felina smile more. Maybe she had not thought she could "walk it off" literally, but she and her uncle did approach it like that. When she had been released from the hospital, she thought things would be a piece of cake. She would go home, have some edible food, and fall into bed. In the morning, somehow through whatever magic she thought existed, everything would be fine.

Felina scratched her head. "You know, looking back on it, I have no idea how I planned to survive without you. I could barely move when I got home. I didn't have any food, couldn't have gone out to get any. Just the thought of walking to the store for my meds made my hair hurt and then you barged in."

"Best decision of my life." Callie purred and wiggled against her, making herself very comfortable. "You know what, I'm not going to worry about this. I'm going to go get out of this dress, take a shower, and then fall asleep right on you." She dropped her cellphone on the coffee table.

"I do like this idea. But, do you think you could model that dress for me?" Felina smirked. If Callie was ready to drop their baggage, then she was happy to oblige.

Callie's eyebrows shot up for a moment and then she smirked. "Oh, you want a little show? What's in it for me?"

"Well, if you give me a little show…" Felina raised her arms and flexed her bare biceps, as she was in nothing more than a sports bra and shorts. "Maybe I'll give you one."

Callie gave a loud purr now and her tail swayed. "Well, you do know how to persuade me."

Felina's eyes followed Callie's tail as Callie climbed to her feet at a very slow pace. Just watching her move was enough for Felina, but then she swayed her hips and tail. Felina could have very easily turned into a puddle of goo. It took a lot of willpower to not leap off of the couch and have her way with Callie right on the floor. Callie winked at her, obviously very aware of her effect on Felina.

"You are a wicked, wicked she-kat," Felina commented as she threw her arms over the back of the couch.

Callie smirked, body still swaying. "You love me this way."

"You know I do. Can you give me a little turn?" A thrill ran through Felina as Callie did just as she asked. _What did I ever do before this female?_ Felina did not remember and did not care to.

A coy looked settled in Callie's eyes. "Strip tease?"

With wide eyes, Felina sat up like an eager puppy. "Really?" _Why the hell was I worried about her being at a party? She only has eyes for me and all_.

"Consider it a reward for saving the city," Callie said.

Felina blinked. "You knew?"

"Love, how could I not know? Yes, Nia monopolized my day to get me ready for her party, but I was very aware of what you did. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to call you about it and then I came in here worrying over Manx. So, consider this a gift."

Felina's mouth went dry as Callie actually started music and began to move. Felina was fairly certain she lost the ability to blink, which was a good thing her brain did because she did not want to miss a second of this. Callie squirmed as she dropped the straps of her dress. Felina suddenly understood why kats visited strip clubs. The anticipation was killing her and she knew what lay underneath. What was it like to not know? Not that she wondered about what was underneath other females anything, just wanting Callie.

Felina licked her lips as Callie swayed her hips and rested her hands on her thighs. She slowly pulled the skirt part of the dress up, showing off her legs. Felina's eyes dropped to enjoy the reveal.

The dress came up at a maddening pace, only to be dropped back down. Callie's hands moved to the back. She had to do the zipper before the dress could come off. Callie never stopped moving to music as the dress fluttered to the floor. Callie was naked under the dress and Felina's tongue was practically on the floor when she learned this.

"Good enough?" Callie had the nerve to sound coy.

"Good enough to get me ready to give you the performance of a lifetime. Why bother with taking a shower? You're definitely just going to need another one when I'm done," Felina replied with a smirk.

Callie giggled. "I really need to wash that party off."

Dramatically dropping her shoulders and sighing, Felina grinned. "Fine." She would take the extra time actually work on poses.

Callie tittered again and made her way to the bathroom. Felina sighed and went to pick up the dress, which was surely dry-clean only. With that out of the way, she turned off the television and things before retiring to the bedroom. She ended up in front of the mirror, working on poses.

"Oh, I like that one," Callie commented from the doorway as she entered the room.

Felina startled slightly, but remained in the pose. Turning to smile at her mate, Felina flexed a little harder. Callie made show of fanning herself and blowing out a breath. Felina held in a laugh, did her best to look serious, and struck another pose, putting her hands up like she was about to box. Callie practically fell into her arms and kissed her passionately.

"This is the best end to any day," Callie sighed.

"Oh, it's not over yet." Felina picked Callie up and carried her over to the bed, kissing her all of the way there.

Callie giggled as her back hit the mattress. She had her arms wrapped around Felina's neck, so Felina had to follow her down. Felina crawled on top of her and Callie hooked her leg around Felina's hip.

"Can we end the day like this every day?" Felina inquired as she pulled away for air.

"No more silly questions." Callie pulled Felina down to resume kissing. It definitely was a great way to end the day.

-8-8-8-8-

With Manx out of the race and under arrest, Steele came out swinging. He was on television first thing that morning, talking about the arrest in a long, drawn out speech. Callie knew she should have prepared a speech for this moment as well as soon as she saw Manx arrested, but she had been too busy enjoying her night. She doubted Steele had as much fun as she did last night. Besides, there had been time in the morning, as she knew what Steele would say.

Steele made sure to associate Callie with Manx in his speech that morning. He also made sure to call her a pervert every other sentence. He referenced her sexuality over a hundred times in two minutes. He also made sure to remind everyone she was "a female prone to be led by her emotions," which according to him was why she was with Felina in the first place. He also connected Felina to corruption, making it seem like Callie had been moving Felina up in the ranks of the Enforcers.

"The bullshit is deep," Rita said, moving around the campaign headquarters. She was there to help come up with a counter to Steele's speech and assist in handling everyone calling every two seconds, wanting a statement from Callie about Manx's arrest.

"Lucky we have our waders," Tiger remarked as he rushed through, giving everyone their morning beverage and a bagel of their choice. He wanted to make sure everyone was energized, knowing they had a busy day ahead of them. "I've been waist deep since I opened the office."

"Thank you, Tiger." Callie tipped her tea to him. She and Nia occupied the couch, eyes on the television.

Nia curled her lip as they listened to commentary about Steele's speech. She and Mel seemed to be self-appointed campaign managers, coming in every day and throwing around ideas on what to do. "It's disgusting how he dragged you into Manx's mess and then dragged Felina into it as well."

"That's easy to counter. Be seen with Hernan again," Jinx said, pacing the main room. The Onca brothers watched him move from their own seats in the corner.

"There are plenty of business dinners and fundraisers and things to attend," Desi said. Hernan looked at his brother and Desi shrugged. "What? It gets you away from your desk. Not like you hate Callie's company."

Callie's eyes shot over to him. Hernan rolled his eyes. Nia was the one who growled, though, and Tiger shot Hernan a very nasty glare. Desi laughed.

Callie brushed their reactions aside. "It's all right, Nia. Down, Tiger." After last night, she knew Hernan respected Felina. She was surprised to find Hernan liked her company.

"Oh, he wouldn't shut up about how you worked the room, Miss Briggs," Desi teased.

Rolling his eyes, Hernan sucked his teeth. "He exaggerates, often."

Callie laughed and could only believe that to be the truth. Hernan did not seem like someone who would never shut up. He hardly talked. He was an observer, even when surrounded by businessmen and subjects where he could have easily dominated the conversation. He watched and waited, then interjected with the minimum amount of words, but so precise, he actually paused conversations.

"How about we start small and have Callie give her own statement about Manx?" Mel suggested.

"I already have that written out." Callie went into her briefcase and handed over several papers. Mel moved to sit with Rita and they began reading the counter statement together. He marked the speech up with a blue pen while Rita used red.

"We need to work on getting Manx's supporters to back you before they decide to get in bed with another snake," Nia said.

Callie sighed. "So more parties."

"Many more," Nia informed her.

Callie glanced at Hernan. "I need to talk to Felina about this." Felina had given her consent for one party.

"She already told you to go," Jinx said.

Callie shook her head. "You obviously don't have a mate, Mister Jinx. I'll talk to Felina and see if she's all right with this. Of course, I could just go out with Felina. She's a hero yet again."

Jinx drew back, looking as if she had struck him. "And just advertise that you're a pervert like Steele says?"

"Hey!" everyone erupted. He was lucky Felina's pride was not there or someone might have actually hit him.

Desi wagged a finger at Jinx. "Not cool."

Jinx held up his hands in surrender. "I didn't mean any offense. Steele has taken the last four hours and used them to fill the air with you being a corrupt pervert. You don't want to walk around making it seem like he was right. Yes, Captain Feral is a hero, but she is still a female. Being female is bad enough, but we can't change that. Lioness is very a poisonous word, especially for someone who wants to be mayor."

A frown cut onto Callie's lips. She hated that he had a point. Still, she needed to talk things over with Felina. She knew what her mate would say. Felina wanted this for her. Felina would give her the blessing to go ahead with this, even if it bothered her, bothered both of them. Did the ends justify the means?

"Just get her permission to go with him for all events," Jinx said with a sneer.

"Wow, you really don't have a mate," Desi remarked.

Nia curled her lip to Jinx and turned to Callie. "Call Felina and just explain that Hernan and I have more parties for you to attend. It's more of the same from last night. You worked your magic, so you should continue on."

"Everyone did love you," Hernan added. "I'm certain we have money coming in." Tabby was the self-appointed campaign funds manager, so they would find out when she showed up.

Callie sighed and walked away from the group, going into one of the many empty, tiny offices they had. It was too early in the morning to ruin the day for Felina, but it was a necessary evil. She made the call.

"Hey, lover," Felina purred. She sounded so happy. And why wouldn't she be? They had such a great night last night.

"Hey," Callie sighed again and flopped down into a nearby chair. She ran her hand through her hair.

"You don't sound too good. Are you listening to more crap from Steele or something?"

"No, actually I'm about to rebut him. But… Jinx… he thinks I need to be seen with Hernan more." There was nothing but silence and Callie's heart sped up as the seconds ticked by. "Sweetheart, you there?"

"How much more?"

"Functions."

There was a little more silence. "You know, babe, it's for the good of your campaign. Hell, you might even become friends with the guy."

"Aw, then we can go on double dates when Desi finally gets you out," Callie tried so hard for this to sound lighthearted and failed so horribly that she palmed her face. _Damn it, I don't want to upset her_.

"None of this sounds fun. Look, I understand the purpose of this. I won't stand in your way and it's not like you're actually dating him. You'll come home to me, right?"

Callie answered automatically. "Always."

"Chase your dreams, kitten. I'm here for you, just like you're here for me. Consider this my moment of pushing in your door."

Callie chuckled. "You're never going to let that go, huh?"

"It was a life changing moment, so no. And, I'm not making light of it. Please, love, you can do it. This city needs someone like you and you've seen everyone isn't a jerk, so they do deserve a mayor like you. It's all right."

Her shoulders slumped and Callie ran her hand through her hair again. "What did I do to deserve you?"

Felina actually laughed. "Are you serious? You only flashed those fiery eyes at me and turned out to be the strongest queen I've ever met. Kitten, I want the best for you and I always knew you'd do great things. Go do your great things."

"You're wonderful."

"I know."

Callie laughed. "And incorrigible, but I love you anyway."

"I love you, too. Now, please, go shut Steele up. There are assholes walking around here, telling me when Steele is in charge, kats like me will be put down, like we should be."

Callie flinched. That was harsh. "Don't kill your coworkers."

"No promises." They disconnected the call.

Blowing her hair out of her face, Callie looked at her phone and smiled to herself. Her mate was pretty amazing. When she returned to the group, feeling refreshed and fortified, she discovered Katarina, Mara, and Blue there.

"Did Felina send you?" Callie asked.

"Nope," Katarina replied.

"According to them, they're here just in case kats feel emboldened by Steele's idiotic words and decide to come by our headquarters to do idiotic things," Nia reported with a pleased smirk on her face.

"We're here to protect you guys just in case," Mara stated.

"If nothing else, I will enjoy the view," Nia remarked, eyes blatantly roaming the bare arms of the trio. Mara smiled at her and actually flexed one arm.

"I would, too, but Mel would tell Mira," Rita huffed and glared at Mel, who dared to look innocent.

Callie laughed. "Well, I thank you guys. Tiger, please make sure to get these fine females anything they want."

"Only if they'll get the phones while I'm doing that," Tiger replied. Okay, she probably was working him too hard. He only had two hands.

Katarina looked at Blue and Mara. "We can answer some phones, right?"

Mara and Blue nodded and that was settled. Everyone had assignments and everyone moved around the common area of the office. Callie had to smile to herself. It was amazing to see so many people willing to help her. It had been a long time since she had so many kats there for her. _And, it all started with Felina_.

-8-8-8-8-

Felina pushed back in her chair after hanging up with Callie. She had been putting up with idiots all morning, which was expected. She was the star of the moment after yesterday and jealousy flowed in Enforcers HQ like water through a rainforest. Steele's love letter to fellow dumbasses that morning had not helped.

"Hey, Felina, you think you're hot stuff right now, but you should watch out. After all, you got a little young, she-kat mechanic. She can't be that good," a kat commented as he walked by her desk.

Felina rolled her eyes. She had already considered this and knew some idiot might try something on their planes. There were too many Enforcers for there to not be an idiot among them. So, she had at least three squad members with Felicia at all times. Li loved being down there, bugging Felicia and Felicia enjoyed the company, enjoyed being able to explain whatever she did to their airplanes.

"Don't worry about those assholes, Captain," Grayling said from his desk, which was not too far from hers.

"I'm not," Felina replied. The Enforcer HQ had not been a bastion of safety for her before they knew she was lioness or before she became a captain. There had always been jerks who thought she-kats did not belong in law enforcement or did not belong in planes or were just upset that she was better than they were. Hell, the air force had these morons, too, just in less quantity. Idiots were everywhere and never in short supply.

"That's why you're the captain," Grayling remarked.

"I think logging the hours and passing the test is why I'm the captain."

Grayling smiled at her. "So, being able to ignore fuck-heads had nothing to do with it?"

Felina only snickered and turned her attention back to work. For a moment, she let her ears wander. She could hear a few insults about her and kats talking about how Steele had their vote if it meant getting rid of a "certain element." Felina had to laugh to herself. If these guys devoted this much time to flying, they would probably be captains, too.

"Steele's really got stupid people riled up today, huh?" Grayling commented.

"They rile themselves up without needing much help, but, yes, his speech this morning has definitely added to what I already knew would be a tough day. Even in the air force, the day after I flew a successful mission, especially an impressive one, I knew they'd crawl out of the woodworks," Felina replied.

Grayling frowned, obviously knowing the truth to her words. "I'm sorry it's like that for you, but you know, it makes me respect you all the more. I also respect our air force. All of the air force organizations here are pushing for us to vote for Miss Briggs."

Felina nodded. "I'm proud of the air force, too, and I'm proud of every military organization that's backing Callie because she's the best choice. Still, I just wish things could be better."

"Maybe we'll get there. This seems like a step in the right direction."

Felina did not argue that. She wondered when the Enforcers union would come out with a new endorsement now that Manx was gone. It already looked bad that they had endorsed him. Manx was a union buster first and foremost, making almost all forms of unions illegal in some manner. Not to mention, he was now an accused criminal. The colonial government would definitely start looking at the Enforcers union a little harder just from association.

Standing, Felina decided on coffee to help keep her mind from wandering. Of course with the hotheads all hopped up, a simple coffee run was harder than it should have been. She made it to the break room and found herself boxed in by five fellow Enforcers.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't everyone's pet project all alone." This was said with smirk.

Felina sighed. "Guys, didn't I take care of you morons in the locker room a few weeks back?" Every now and then, she had to rough up the idiots here because they seemed forget she was just as strong as she looked. "Did it ever occur to you geniuses that if you put this much effort into your work, you might actually outrank me?"

"You think you're better than us because you got your precious little white shirt?"

She scoffed at the reference to her uniform shirt. Captains wore a different color shirt than lower ranks. "Okay, guys, fine. We can do this if you want, but you should know I'm at the advantage here. There's too many of you to use your numbers in the break room." _Fucking stupid_. But, then again, they were not military, probably never took any kind of training beyond what the Enforcers offered, probably did not pay much attention there, and seemed to think their good looks would make them good Enforcers. Thankfully, only a very small percentage of Enforcers were _this_ stupid.

They seemed to think it over, if they could actually think anyway. They looked around the break room. They had to remember the damage she did in the locker room, which was narrower than this. Their numbers had meant absolutely nothing in the locker room. They sneered at her and wisely walked off. She got her coffee and sat down.

"How come you never invite me to the party?" Grayling asked.

Felina smirked. "Because I like partying alone."

"You just don't want me to get in trouble. I know Captain Lidon gets invites every once and awhile."

She scoffed. "He shows up on his own. I never ask him."

"And it's not like you can order him not to help, which you could do with me." Grayling held his hands up. "All right. I get it. But, just so you know, I got your back."

Felina smiled at him. "You sweet idiot. Did you think I ever doubted? You were the one singing my praises in front of cameras not even twenty-four hours ago. You're here, in my squad, even though you know stupid jerks around here are laughing at you or the top brass will likely overlook you for every important job unless it's handed to us by Commander Feral. I know this squad has my back. I know each individual in this squad has my back and I have all of yours. I'll fight fang and claw with you all, for you all."

Grayling smiled back at her. "She's got my vote, you know?"

"Well, the military did endorse her."

"She had it before they did that. She's good people. Of course, she's better than Steele, so that's enough in and of itself. The idiots around here will vote for Steele. The prejudice top brass will vote for Steele. But, most of us, we'll vote for Callie."

Felina nodded, even though she did not think this was entirely true. If the union endorsed Steele, most Enforcers would probably vote for him, forgetting the fact that he was butthead when he worked here, forgetting the fact that he did not know anything about running anything, and forgetting that Callie had more combat experience than Steele ever could.

"We'll vote for Callie," Grayling repeated, definitely more for himself than her. He had to believe the idiots did not outnumber them. Felina never had the privilege of such optimism, but she had hope.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Felina has to deal with Callie going out to parties with Hernan.


	9. Stalking

I don't own these characters.

9: Stalking

There were a couple of weeks between the next scheduled debate and Steele seemed to know he could not beat Callie in a debate. So, he spoke to anything that looked like a microphone in the meantime. He did not have much of a hold on his law enforcement issues, especially since she made it clear she had no plans of downsizing the Enforcers and the Enforcers union endorsed her after she took a strong stance for unions.

All Steele could do was remind the world she was a lioness and lionesses were foul, evil creatures. He also made sure to remind anyone who might have forgotten that she was a female and females could not lead. It amazed her how much the media and people entertained him.

Callie had a counter for the lioness reminder and just ignored the attack over being female. It was not like she could change her sex to male in the middle of the race. As long as she kept her composure, she figured it would show females were not ruled by their emotions and could make decisions without having breakdowns. It was hard to say the same for him.

Beyond that, she went out to tons of fundraisers with Hernan on her arm. They were complimented on their looks, clothing, and everything in between. Jinx liked for them to coordinate their outfits to give off an illusion of closeness, which made Callie roll her eyes, but they did it just the same and it was shocking that it played well. They were photographed often, enough for journalists to suspect they were dating, which she knew Jinx wanted. Neither of them confirmed or denied this.

"Are you straight now?" was a question asked way too often. Callie was not even sure how to answer if she were to be bothered with answering. Hernan liked to roll his eyes to it and say something like, "Is this what passes for journalism now?" or "You have time to ask the next mayor one question and you picked this one?" It was nice of him to stand up for her, but she did not need it.

Of course, it tore at Callie to not be able to just take Felina out, which would silence any questions. She felt like she and Felina were a much more striking couple than she and Hernan. She would never say so aloud, as she felt like that was insulting, but sometimes, she felt like Hernan would agree with her.

"How are you holding up?" Hernan asked as their car pulled up to their latest event. He straightened his tie, wanting to look his best for the cameras that would surely greet them.

"Fine. I'm used to this," Callie replied. She had been to more parties her first month working for Manx than in her entire life. Yes, campaigning was starting to rival that, but she still had done this plenty of times.

Hernan glanced at her. "I meant going out with me."

Callie chuckled. "Well, I'm not quite used to you, yet. How about you?" He was still stiff, like uncomfortable in his own skin. It was odd because he always had an air of confidence about him. She had seen him command a meeting with the mayor. She never would have guessed that kat was so… bashful.

Hernan shrugged a little and fiddled with his tie again. "Leaving my desk has always been a problem. With business, I know what I want, so I can go in and just state that. Not so much in social situations. Desi used to be good company, enough company. You… you're better than I expected."

"I'll take that as a compliment." He was socially awkward when he was not involved in business, so she figured this was his way of saying he was almost comfortable with her.

The car stopped and they got out. There were photographers waiting and snapping photos. She smiled big for the camera, but doubted it reached her eyes. Hernan put his hand around her waist. This was the first time he had ever done that and she had to make sure she did not jump. Maybe he was taking the escort thing too seriously now, or maybe she was just paranoid and antsy because she could not bring Felina to these things. Jinx could have always put him up to this.

She shook it if off and just continued to smile. The reporters there shouted questions to them, but she had no desire to answer any of them. They had nothing to do with her issues, but more to do with _their_ issues. Their issues being boiled down to: "Are you two dating?", "Is Hernan Onca your boyfriend, Miss Briggs?", and occasionally there was the question "You're not with Captain Feral anymore?" or, of course, "Are you straight now?" She just wanted to punch them all, but she grinned and took it. She breathed a sigh of relief when they were done with that mess.

"Oh, great, Richard again," Hernan sighed as soon as they got into the party. He glanced around, in search of an escape before Richard spotted them. Richard seemed to get a kick out of being condescending to Hernan.

"Be kind. He's arranging a fundraiser for me in a couple of days," Callie reminded him. These parties were paying off, quite literally according to Tabby. Most of the business people Callie meant preferred backing her to Steele. Many had dealt with her long enough to know she understood business and if they did not know her, they seemed to trust the kats who did back her. Every few days, Tabby liked to just run through the numbers with her and she was surprised each time by how much support she gained.

"I just heard about that," a voice said, causing them to turn.

Hernan groaned while Callie sighed this time. John Leonheart approached them from their right side. He was the younger, less charismatic, and very much less friendly brother of Richard. He and his gaudy, shiny thousand dollar suit stood before them and smirked at them with this haughty look in his beady eyes.

"It's amazing the type of people they will let into these things," John remarked as he gave Callie a hard stare down. He chuckled darkly and ran a finger over his whiskers, showing off a hand full of golden rings.

"I was thinking the same thing," Callie replied, looking right back at him with a smirk.

Hernan snickered slightly and regarded John with an arched eyebrow. "The screening process does need work."

John flinched, but then recovered just enough to run his finger across his whiskers once more. "Well, I suppose I can put up with you both for now. You won't be around long, after all. Hernan, you're going to bankrupt yourself on this perverted lost cause, who we won't see two months from now."

Hernan laughed. It was low and warm. "You honestly think Steele will win the election? No wonder the company tanked for those years you were in charge."

Callie had to hold in a laugh. Hernan could have quite a bite when interacting with the right person. Some years ago, Richard had taken ill and John gained control of Leonheart Industries. John's stint ended with the board of directors putting Richard's adopted daughter in charge until Richard was well enough to take over again. They could not have insulted John more if they slapped him in the face while voluntarily putting a female in charge of the company. Making it worse for John, the daughter performed well and there was talk of Richard retiring soon, leaving her in charge.

John growled. "Watch who you're talking to."

"You should do the same. This is the next mayor of Megakat City, after all," Hernan replied.

"No one would ever elect a female, perverted freak like her," John spat.

Callie tilted her head. "A gib like you would know, right?" There was just something about the way he brushed his whiskers and wore all of these rings.

John bristled and rushed off while Hernan laughed again. "I don't think I've ever seen him flee the scene so quickly. You must teach me this trick."

With a shrug, Callie smiled. "I've learned this past year there's nothing worse than having someone question your sexuality. The fact that he understood the jib makes me think it's quite true." How many other closeted lions and lionesses surrounded her, calling her a pervert to her face while secreting the dens at night?

Hernan shook his head. "You're never without something to say, are you?"

"I've got a knack for it. I assume that's why I became a lawyer and then got into politics." She smiled even more and he smiled back. "Now, let's go work the room, so you don't have to go bankrupt funding my losing campaign."

"By Baast, that would mean more parties. Would either of us survive?" Hernan said.

"You might loosen up to much for that."

This earned her a light laugh from Hernan and they went off to work the room. Nia was there, of course, but they had done this enough times where she mostly just watched them. Every now and then, Nia wandered over, Richard right behind her, and she just checked in with Callie and Hernan. Nia was overprotective, but Callie did not mind. It was cozy to have someone looking after her, someone beyond Felina. It was like family.

-8-8-8-8-

"How the hell can someone so small drink so much?" Li screamed in disbelief, throwing his hands wildly into the air, as the squad watched Felicia down yet another glass of milk beer. Felicia was probably not going to be coming in tomorrow, but Felina felt like she earned it.

Felina treated her squad drinks after yet another successful flight out. If she continued this tradition, they would bankrupt her within the year. But, they deserved it. So, her special group of fifteen could have all the beer and hot wings they wanted right now. Felicia seemed to take it to heart this time out, but with the way the Hellcats performed today, Felina would have given Felicia anything she wanted.

"Yo, Cap!" Grayling pointed to the television at the far end of the bar.

Felina glanced at him, still getting used to being called "cap." Then, she looked where he pointed. Callie was on screen with Hernan. It was just a commercial about what was coming up on the news, but it gave her a chance to Hernan with his arm wrapped around her queen's waist. Felina growled at the sight. It did not help that it was described as "Mayoral candidate Calico Briggs attending a gala with beau Hernan Onca."

"Cap, that rich kat tryna steal ya girl?" Forest Shorthair inquired. He was one of her pilots. He was fairly experienced and a little older than the others. It was surprising he was willing to follow her.

"He just escorts her places," Felina replied, waving it off. She popped a few peanuts into her mouth, hoping to forget about the sight of Hernan with his arm around Callie's waist. _What does he think he's doing, touching my mate like that? She's not his_.

"You sure? If you want, we could go tell him leave her be," Li volunteered with a grin.

Felina smiled. "You guys are so eager to defend my honor."

"You buy the drinks and the hot wings," Li remarked, raising his glass.

"And give the orders that get us all famous and everything," Forest added.

Felina was not sure if they were famous. They were on the news again after today's time out, but she had made the news before. The thing that made people recognize her was not saving lives, but the fact that she was one of half a dozen known lionesses. But, she would let the squad have their illusions. Whatever kept them happy and in the air.

"Holy catnip, she's drinking another one!" Li's attention was right back on Felicia now.

Felina feared she might have to carry the little one home, but she laughed just the same. Felicia did not have anything to prove to the guys, so maybe she really could just put them away. Someone her size should have been under the table about three beers ago.

Usually, Felina did not stick around the whole night for these, but she did not have anything to go home to. Callie was out with Hernan and those things could last until three in morning. _Three in the morning with his arm on her waist_. She shook the thought away and refocused on her crew. They were having fun.

At the end of the night, Felina had to carry little Felicia home. Felina felt like it was her responsibility since she was the captain and her guys accepted that. Felicia was light, so it was no problem to hold her bridal style when they got to her apartment building. It turned out she won money for drinking more than everyone else. Hopefully, she did not die of alcohol poisoning.

"Hey, Cap…" Felicia slurred and her head lulled to the side. She tucked her head against Felina's shoulder. She somehow looked even smaller than she was. It was so hard to believe this tiny creature could work on such powerful planes like their Hellcats.

"Unless you're going to tell me which pocket your keys are in, don't bother," Felina replied as she entered Felicia's apartment building.

"Thanks for picking me," Felicia mumbled.

Felina laughed. "You did me a favor in joining."

Felicia did not say anything and Felina glanced down to see she was knocked out. Now, she had to keep a better hold on her and press for the elevator. But, a group of loud youngsters coming in caught her attention. They were laughing and seemed a little buzzed, which typically was not a good thing. They locked eyes.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" one of them said with a smirk, tucking his thumbs into the waist of his pants, like this made him look like a badass.

Felina groaned. "You do not want to do this guys." She just wanted to get Felicia safely into her apartment, into bed, and go about her business. Why did things have to be so hard?

"I can't believe you two would be in public like this. Disgusting," another hissed.

"Yeah, standing here. How horrible," Felina remarked, rolling her eyes. Okay, she was standing here. Felicia was passed out in her arms. She had no idea how this translated into a romantic encounter that required a pack attack, but whatever.

And yet another rubbed his palms together. "We can fix you, make sure you never touch another female again."

Felina sighed. "Sorry about this, Felicia."

The group advanced as Felina eased Felicia onto the floor. She turned just in time to get out of the way of a punch from one and shoved him into a nearby wall. Another came at her and she punch him in the face. He fell back and the other four came at her. They staggered a bit, further showing they had been out having a good time before they stumbled upon her. She would certainly ruin their night.

They were too slow for her. Added to that, they were not actually fighters and they were drunk. The real problem was that they kept coming and she could not risk something happening with Felicia passed out right there. A couple of them pulled knives, so now it was really a priority to get this done.

Taking down five drunken barely out of their teens males was not much of a challenge, even with their knives. It was the crying girls with them that was the headache, wailing every time Felina put her knuckles on one of the tomkats. Soon enough, all of the guys were laid out, bleeding from various places. Felina picked up Felicia and had to wait for the elevator while the girls tried to pick up their boyfriends.

"If those idiots can walk around with their mates, why can't I?" Felina huffed as the elevator door closed.

It was not fair. She had led a good life, saved countless people, given her all to service (both home and abroad), and she could hardly walk down the street without getting harassed by kats, without kats threatening her, wanting to kill her. Not to mention, her damn mate had to go out with a freaking mane to hopefully get the job she was made for. How was this fair? How was anything in life fair?

Felina shook the thoughts away and searched Felicia for her keys. Once those were found, she let herself in and tucked Felicia into bed. She put Felicia's phone next to bed and texted Felicia to take it easy tomorrow. She would send Li to come check on Felicia tomorrow. He would definitely annoy the hell out of Felicia just from being impressed with how much she drank.

With this all done, Felina made her way home. The apartment was empty, as expected. She showered, settled on the couch, and found something on television to occupy her until Callie came in. That wait took two hours and by then, she had seen several shots of Callie and Hernan from their night out. There was something about the way Hernan looked at Callie that caused Felina's stomach to toss, but she did her best to ignore it.

"Hey, love. Why are you still up?" Callie greeted her with a kiss on the cheek and a hug from behind.

"Waiting for you," Felina yawned.

"Well, I'm here and you have work, so let's get you to bed."

Felina did not have it in her to protest. She allowed Callie to put her to bed. But, she did not fall asleep. Instead, her mind flooded with images of Callie and Hernan. Surely at this point Callie figured out it was much better to be normal, to have a normal relationship, than what they had. This was why she allowed Hernan to put his hand on her waist and why she allowed him gaze upon her with such open fondness.

Her thoughts paused as Callie eased in next to her. Slender arms wrapped around her waist and Callie tucked her head under Felina's chin. She put her arm around Callie's shoulder.

"You're still awake?" Callie asked, throwing a leg over Felina.

"Yeah. How was your night?" Felina inquired. _Why should I ask? Glutton for punishment?_

"Fine. We worked the room. Several people told me about your adventures today. They even asked to meet you. I wish you were there," Callie replied and then let loose a small yawn.

 _She wishes what? Why?_ "Really?"

"Of course. My lioness the hero. You know I tell how you saved my life whenever someone brings you up. I don't want to boast and bring it up, but as soon as someone else does, I'm off. Hernan, too."

Felina blinked. "Really?" She felt like she was hallucinating.

"Yeah. He adores you and talks about what you did often. It turns out, once he's around for you almost a dozen times, he's almost bearable."

Felina swallowed. Bearable enough to date him? Bearable enough to get a normal life? Bearable enough to leave all of this behind? This fishbowl life? This harassment for just being in love? This death threat that was their relationship?

"Congratulations on saving the city again," Callie muttered. She drifted off to sleep.

Felina sighed and kissed the top of Callie's head. She saved Callie's life and Hernan's life. They were grateful, so why were her guts still in a knot? Her instincts had saved her life just as many times as they had put her at risk.

-8-8-8-8-

Another party, another night with Hernan. He was now officially bearable to Callie and she seemed to be "enough company" for him. It was just the way he told off a kat who had strong opinions about lionesses. He seemed to take Callie's words to heart and questioned the guy's sexuality.

"The little wink you did at the end was amazing," Callie laughed as she put her arm around Hernan's.

"It's quite fun," Hernan smiled.

"Glad you're so secure in your sexuality that you can do that."

"Miss Briggs, I'm worth enough money to be secure in most things. Also, my penis is of adequate size."

Callie actually guffawed. "How much have you had to drink?"

The smile on his face made his eyes shine a bit. "Not enough. Do you know what I did all day before this?"

"I'm going to assume sat at your desk and crunched numbers for your business and for the campaign. Perhaps sat in on a few meetings about your business where you calmly shot down anything that negatively impacted the bottom line," Callie said. He was nothing if not predictable.

"Right on both accounts. My brother has told me in such cases, I then deserve a little fun. I'm beginning to believe he was right. He says I should live a little since my life had been saved," he answered.

Callie nodded. "You should. Felina didn't save your life for you to rot behind your desk."

Hernan glanced at her. "And she saved yours to run for mayor?"

"Well, she just wants me to go after my dreams." Felina seemed to believe Callie was destined for amazing things and Callie wanted to prove her right.

"Then, we should do what she wants. She did save our lives, after all."

Callie nodded and Hernan smiled again. He looked a little more relaxed when he smiled. They continued on, going through the party, trying to find more backers.

After doing several parties together, they had a rhythm. They worked well together, jumped in at the right times and stayed quiet at the right moments. Hernan rested his arm around her waist and laughed with her whenever something clever was said. It was bearable, almost fun.

Sometimes, it felt like a game. They played to win, played to get everyone on their side. Hernan smiled at her whenever she worked over kats who were not with them initially. Typically, when she was done with someone, they were willing to sign onto her campaign. If she could not hook them, Hernan chimed in. The tag team tended to work.

"You're not so bad at this," Callie remarked as she sipped a flute of cream.

He hid a smile behind his own flute of cream. "I do this all day. They are telling me things that negatively impact our bottom line. Come. There are some union presidents over there who still actually believe Steele knows what a union is." He motioned across the room.

"I do not understand these people, unless of course, they're hoping to buy his legislation," Callie said.

"I'm sure that is the plan, but let's see if we can stop their dishonesty first," Hernan said. They were off again.

-8-8-8-8-

"You're stupid, you know that?" Katarina said to Felina. Their whole pride was out at a lioness den, trying to fill her time, she supposed since her mate was so busy. The music and movement was not much of a distraction and Felina had begun lamenting to them almost as soon as they sat down… and put some drinks in her.

"How is that stupid?" Felina asked, throwing her arm over the top of the booth. Maybe she should have stuck to beer. Having three shots of rabbit blood probably was not her best idea. It made her loose-lipped.

"You really think Callie would drop you for Hernan? Have you seen Hernan? You could benchpress him," Blue pointed out, shoving Felina.

"You muscle heads never get it. Muscles aren't everything. If that was the case, we'd all just date huge males." Tabby shuddered.

Penelope gasped, putting her hands over her mouth. "Baast, no."

Katarina hissed and glared. "Dirty suggestion there, Tabs."

"Yes, please, shut your dirty, dirty mouth," Mara concurred. "Besides, I have zero desire to date someone I would break in half."

"Of course." Tabby rolled her eyes. "We both know you're interested in Nia anyway."

"Wait, what?" Felina thought she heard wrong. Did rabbit blood make her deaf as well as talkative?

"I am not!" Mara growled.

"Then, who are you wearing all the tank tops for when we go to the campaign headquarters? You're not trying to impress any of us." Tabby motioned around the table.

"It's been hot!" Mara objected. This was technically true, but Tabby could have been right as well. Mara had been showing off her body a lot more lately and Nia was the only single female there. Plus, she was not dressed in a tank top now, even though it had been hot today.

Tabby rolled her eyes again. "Anyway, you're being crazy, Felina. Callie loves you. Besides, who the hell else is going to jump in front of bullets for her or punch out crazy lioness bashers?"

"She won't need someone with those skills when she's dating Hernan," Felina lamented before she kicked back her fourth shot. "Plus, he could buy and sell me. Pretty sure money beats out muscles."

"No, Felina, don't. You'll shatter their realities with that," Tabby said, pointing to Katarina, Blue, and Mara.

Penelope reached over and put her hand on top of Felina's. "You shouldn't worry. Callie loves you and you love her. Yes, she has to go places with Hernan, but she only did that because you gave your okay. If you asked her to stop, she would, because she respects your opinion and your feelings that much."

"That was accurate. So, please, stop crying tears into your drinks. You're the only one out of us who gets laid on a regular basis." Katarina smacked her on the shoulder.

"I do all right," Blue said.

Tabby snorted. "No, you don't."

Blue sneered at her and then focused back on Felina. "Callie loves you. She's only going out with Hernan because kats suck. Hernan is grateful you saved his life. So, please, can we just drink and focus on getting the rest of us laid? Except for Mara, who is apparently attracted to a grandma."

"I am not!" Mara said. "Even though she is kinda hot, in a dignified royal kinda way, but that doesn't matter. I'm not."

"Felina used to like her, too," Penelope laughed.

"Felina has good taste and Callie proves it." Katarina clapped Felina on the back again.

Felina sighed and sucked up this information for the moment. Her friends just wanted to cheer her up and she was probably being crazy like they insisted. But, part of her could not let this go. She saw them on television more than ever. Gossip rags reported they were dating. His arm was constantly around her waist now, holding her close. He looked at her as if she hung the moon. She needed to know. So, she knew who she needed to have a drink with next.

-8-8-8-8-

"So, milk beer, cream, or blood?" Desi offered as they sat down in the campaign office. It was dark, but familiar. Hernan and Callie were off to another party. "I didn't think our drink would happen because you're lonely."

Felina sighed as she threw her head back on the arm chair. She never said she was lonely. He just jumped to that conclusion and she did not have the energy to correct him. She would rather he focus on that than keep trying to take her to one of his wealthy clubs for a drink.

"You have all that in the office?" she asked. Was he getting drunk after hours?

"I gotta make sure I have what we all drink when we win this thing. You want to try some of the high end blood my brother drinks?" Desi asked.

Felina did not want to think about his brother, but Hernan was just about the only thing she could think about. "I've had high end blood before. I think I'll stick to beer."

"Suit yourself. I got some creams you might like."

"Desi, I've been around the world a few times. I've tried a lot of that, too." _I'm not some uncouth savage_. She knew he did not mean it that way, but it came across that way.

"Right, what's that like? Being a soldier?" Desi moved to the desk he usually used when they actually ended up in their little offices in the headquarters. Apparently, there was a fridge hidden underneath it.

"I was a pilot. I'm told being in the air is different than being on the ground and I'm inclined to agree. It feels like something I was born to do."

"Fly?" He turned on the lights and then sat down with two bottles of beer.

"Protect people. I think it's in my blood." Even as a child, she stood up to bullies and anything she perceived as an injustice.

Desi nodded. "Thank Baast for that. You know, you kind of saved me twice."

"What do you mean?"

"Before you shoved me off that stage and kept me from being shot, I was a lot like Hernan."

Felina blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I stayed at work late. Making money, business, that stuff is in our blood. I used to be right with him, behind our desks until all hours of the night, looking over numbers, making plans, and everything. Hell, I don't even know when I had time to get married and have a kit, but I didn't make time for either of them. Hernan was worse." Desi sipped his beer.

"I can believe that. So, he never got married or had a girlfriend or anything?"

Desi shook his head. "Not since college, which was a long time ago."

"Any chance he… any chance he might make a go at Callie?" Felina found herself asking.

Desi blinked and stared at her as if she was crazy. Felina wished she felt crazy, but there were too many pictures of her mate with Hernan for her to be crazy. Desi shook his head.

"You saved our lives. Hernan wouldn't go after your female. I think he's just finally making use of the gift you gave him. For me, after you saved me, I realized life is short. I had a kitten at home, a wife. I wanted to enjoy time with them and I did. Ball games, vacations, and everything in between. Hell, got the wife pregnant and had another kit. Hernan… Hernan just went back to his desk." Desi shrugged.

"Really? That's a little sad." No desk had ever contained her.

"Yeah, but I think going out with Callie has opened him up and he's starting to enjoy life. I've seen the pictures and he's finally really smiling. It's not big, but still, it took him almost forty years to find that smile."

Felina nodded. "Callie has that power." Callie pulled joy out of thin air.

"It'll be nice when she's mayor."

"Yeah, it will be."

"And my brother, he's too grateful to you to do anything like try something with her. You know what he does after these parties? He calls me and tells me about how Callie defends you or talks about you. He talks about you, too. I know he's not a pest like me, but he appreciates what you did for us. He would never hurt you."

Felina nodded. "You're a good guy." She sipped her beer. "Your brother is, too. Thanks for helping us out."

He scoffed. "Are you kidding me? You saved our lives. You've allowed me to see my kitten grow up. Hell, you allowed me to live long enough to have another beautiful kitten. Nothing I ever do short of saving your life will measure out. My brother feels the same way."

"Okay." She took another drink. "I appreciate you guys, too. Sorry it took us this long to have a drink."

He gave her a smile. "Then, let's talk about better things." She nodded.

-8-8-8-8-

Another party wrapped up. At this point, Callie was certain she had partied enough for a million lifetimes and Steele's daily reminders of her sexuality seemed like he was out of his mind. She hated to admit that Jinx might have had a point.

"Ready for home?" Hernan asked her as he opened the town car door for her.

"More than ready," she replied, moving her dress out of the way and settling into the leather seat.

He eased in next to her. "But, it was a good time, yes?"

She smiled at him. "Very good, as it has been for a while." She had learned to appreciate his company.

He nodded. "The same." He moved a little closer to her.

"We make a hell of a team."

"Especially since Nia stopped babysitting us, right?"

Callie laughed. This was only the second party they had been to without Nia lurking. Hernan smiled at her.

"I finally understand why people go out like this. You made me understand what my brother's been going on about. Thank you," Hernan said.

She smiled again. "Well, you're welcome."

He smiled a bit and then the next thing Callie knew, he was kissing her. Gasping, she jumped back and stared at him with wide eyes. _What the hell was that?_

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: handling this new mess.


	10. Pounce

I don't own these characters, except the Onca brothers.

10: Pounce

Callie had never fled a vehicle so quickly in all of her life. Hell, she had not even waited for it to come to a complete stop. Awkward did not begin to cover the last ten minutes of the car ride after Hernan kissed her. The air itself had been oppressive and she was not sure how they had not been crushed to death by the atmosphere. He seemed shocked when she pulled away and even more shocked when she told him to stay away from her. He was under the impression they had something.

"There's a connection between us, a bond," he told her. She hissed and glared at him, hoping it would keep him from talking, ever again if possible. But, no such luck. "Callie…" he said.

"No, just stop," she ordered. "Stop. Just sit there and don't say anything."

"But, I love—"

She growled. "Don't say anything!"

Hernan had the nerve to jump at her tone. But, thankfully, he was quiet the rest of the trip. She glared at him from across the car.

"I'm in love with Felina. She is my chosen mate. That's the way it is and the way it always will be. You had no right to do that and don't think you did. There's no bond or connection. I'm with Felina," Callie stated soundly when they got to her building.

She could only wonder what he thought of her when she jumped out of the car. It did not matter. She needed to get away from him and wash her lips. With each step she took, her insides burned and grumbled. Damn him for ruining everything, possibly _everything_.

She actually ran up to the apartment, wishing she could flee this feeling. Her hands shook as she tried to put the keys in the lock. Rushing into the dark apartment, she slammed the door behind her.

"Sweetheart?" she called into the void. There was no answer and her heart dropped. "Oh, right." Felina was out, finally having that drink with Desi. "Damn it." Her chin trembled and she slapped her hand over her mouth.

 _Hold it together_. There was no reason to fall apart. Okay, Hernan got the wrong idea and kissed her. Okay, Hernan betrayed Felina's trust. Okay, she would have to tell Felina what happened. Okay, Felina would be upset. None of this was a reason to fall apart.

"But, what if this just ruined the campaign?" Now, not only would she have to deal with Felina knowing some male had kissed her, but she had to disappoint Felina by not living up to this destiny Felina was so certain she had. Tears slid down her face.

 _It's not fair_. Despite it all, things were actually looking up. She had even started to believe she might win this thing. Steele could not keep up with her and could only insult her. Anyone with half a brain knew to vote for her, but now she would not have enough money to keep the campaign going, unless some of her other business contacts wanted to fund her like the Onca brothers and they were not so certain right now. Callie curled into a ball and cried.

-8-8-8-8-

Felina yawned as she entered the apartment. Beers with Desi was not awful, especially after they finished discussing his brother. They joked and talked, especially comparing notes on places they had been. She might be inclined to do it again, if pushed.

Those thoughts left her head as she noticed the apartment. The living room light was on. She discovered Callie tucked into a ball on the couch, still wearing her dress. Felina's brow furrowed, but she did not want to wake her mate. So, she gathered Callie in her arms. A light mew escaped Callie and she turned into Felina's chest. Felina smiled a bit.

She carried Callie to bed with little problem. Callie did not wake while Felina eased her dress off and covered her with a sheet. She quickly stripped and climbed into bed. Callie found her as soon as she was settled and she wrapped her arms around Callie.

"Sorry," Callie muttered, curling against her.

Felina kissed the top of her head. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

Callie did not respond, so she was probably still asleep. Every now and then, Callie mumbled in her sleep, so Felina did not think anything of it. Felina fell asleep with ease for the first time in a couple of weeks. She had been so tense about Callie and Hernan, but she decided to just trust them thanks to Desi.

-8-8-8-8-

Callie woke, surprised to find herself in bed. Her was tucked underneath Felina's chin as always, so she could guess how she got there. Kissing Felina's cheek, her heart thumped heavy in her chest. She eased out of bed.

"How am I supposed to tell her what happened?" Callie muttered. _A better questions is how am I supposed to tell her what happened and get her to trust me ever again?_

She did not have an answer to that, but she assumed such news would be easier with a good, hearty breakfast. So, she took a shower and then went to make Felina's favorite breakfast. A three meat omelet might soften the blow with some nice chilled milk. Added to that, she delivered it to Felina in bed while wearing one of Felina's t-shirts.

Callie put the tray down on the nightstand before straddling Felina's legs. She moved the tray over Felina, making sure it was secure. The added weight made Felina groan and she slowly opened one eye. Callie smiled at her.

"Good morning," Callie purred.

"Morning…" Felina let loose a loud yawn and then managed to open both eyes, even though it was only halfway. "What's all this?" She smiled as she took in the sight of breakfast and Callie.

A small, but somewhat nervous smile worked its way onto Callie's face. "I figured I could make you breakfast."

Felina smiled even more. "I see that. Looks good." She sat up as best she could with Callie parked on her thighs and a tray between them. "It might be a little tricky to eat if you don't let me up a bit."

Callie chuckled, forcing the sound out, as she pushed up just enough to allow Felina to move. Felina wiggled into an upright position and then started in on the food. Callie just watched her eat while fighting back tears. She felt like the world was about to crumble around her for some reason.

"You okay, kitten?" Felina asked before shoving a huge bite of omelet in her mouth.

"Fine." The way her voice cracked, they both knew she was far from fine.

The fork hit the plate with what was probably a soft clank, but sounded deafening to Callie's ears. Felina reached over, hands gently placed on Callie's biceps. She drew small circles with her thumbs and made Callie's heart speed up. If she was not careful, she was fairly certain her heart would escape through her ribs.

"Talk to me, kit," Felina pled in a tender tone. She gave Callie big eyes and Callie felt her insides shatter.

"I need to tell you something." Callie's voice was so low, a trembling whisper. Her throat felt so tight.

Felina swallowed and her eyes searched Callie's face. Callie felt naked, exposed. Felina gave her a tiny smile.

"You can tell me anything, kit."

Callie licked her lips. "It… I…" She took a breath and sighed. "I didn't mean for it to happen." Her stomach flipped as she thought about it.

She felt Felina tense. Felina stared at her and lines appeared underneath her eyes. Worry clouded her eyes and Callie's stomach began doing all sorts of twists and turns.

"What happened?" Felina inquired in an almost hard tone.

"It was a mistake," Callie said. Maybe if she set this up right, she could avoid Felina killing Hernan. No sense in Felina undoing her own hard work.

"What was a mistake?" Felina asked, her tone and eyes harder now.

"Hernan… he…" Callie licked her lips again.

"What did Hernan do?" Felina's tone was deliberate, calculating.

"He kissed me."

Felina growled. "He what?"

Callie swallowed, wanting to ease her tight throat. "He kissed me." She saw something flash in Felina's eyes and tried to save the day. "It was just for a second!"

Felina took a breath, but her jaw trembled. She glanced away briefly and then looked back. Her eyes had changed. They looked shattered and Callie felt like everything inside of her collapsed into her feet. Was Felina about to leave her over this?

"So… are you… with him now?" Felina bite out through gritted teeth.

Callie gasped and squinted as she regarded Felina. "With him?" _What the hell does that even mean? With him?_

"That's what my favorite breakfast is about, right? You're going to let me down gently?" With a snort, Felina rolled her eyes and turned away.

Suddenly, fury burned any other feelings in Callie's belly and shot right through her, all the way to the tip of her tail. With a snarl, she glared at Felina and pressed on Felina's abdomen. Felina grunted and bucked a little from the pressure.

"Are you serious? You think after I walked through Hell and back with you I'm just going to jump the first tomkat who kisses me?" Callie growled. _How the hell can she possibly think so low of me?_

With fire in her eyes, Felina turned back and glared. "It would be better for you, wouldn't it?"

Callie narrowed her gaze. "Me or my career? Because they are not the same thing and you should know that by now!" She gave Felina another little shove, this time in the shoulder. _The nerve of her!_

Felina had the gall to gnash her teeth, like she was insulted. "I know, but you could do so much good as mayor and if you're with me, you might not be mayor."

"Oh, I should be with him just to be mayor? Are you really willing to trade me away like that? Do I mean so little to you that you would just throw me to these people?"

Felina growled. "You know that's not true! You are the world, the sun, the moon, and the stars!"

Callie snorted. "If these people can't accept me with you and all then screw them! This city could burn to the ground and sink into the sea for all I care! You're the only one who matters and I can't believe you would think so little of me that you'd think I'd chose my career over you. Have I ever done that?"

Felina shook her head. "No. Of course not."

"So, why the hell would I start doing it now? Do you honestly think so little of me?" It took all of Callie's willpower not to fling the breakfast tray across the room.

"Of course not."

"But, you're still so desperate to be a martyr that you're ready bow out of this relationship and just let me go?" Callie demanded.

"No!" Felina roared, sitting up more. The tray across her clattered, but did not fall. Callie's body blocked it.

"Then why are you acting like it? You want him to have me?"

Felina's dark eyes exploded with emotion. "Of course not!"

"I'm not worth fighting for?" Callie glared at Felina. The nerve of her! Here it was she thought she would have to spin this to protect Hernan's life, but Felina had the nerve to just let her go. What the hell was that about?

Felina clutched Callie's biceps. "Of course you are!"

"Then why are you acting like it's okay for me to just walk away? How am I supposed to take this?"

Felina's eyes softened and she moved her hands to Callie's back. She massaged the small of Callie's back and the base of her tail. "I never want to stand in the way of your happiness."

Callie just glared harder. _Does she not know me at all?_ "Never assume anyone would ever make me happier than you."

Felina nodded and bit her lip. "I'm sorry." Shaking her head, she put her hand on her fore forehead before looking back up at Callie. "This whole thing has been making me uncomfortable."

Callie groaned and lightly popped Felina on the thigh. "By Baast! You went along with it. You being okay with it is the only reason I went along with it. Why didn't you say anything?"

Felina clutched Callie's back and gritted her teeth. "Because I knew you'd stop and I really want you to get elected. You deserve to be mayor. I don't care how horrible this city is. You deserve this chance. You deserve to go down in history. You deserve to have everyone see you shine, even if you blind them."

Callie had never actually thought about it like that. Felina had such lofty goals for her. It was a little frightening, but also flattering. She was not sure if it was healthy, though. It seemed like it would hurt their relationship and she was not interested in that.

Callie shook her head. "You want me to have some great legacy, huh?"

There was a low sigh. "Callie, when you're done, the last thing people will talk about is how you were the first open lioness to be mayor. They're going to have a long list of amazing things. I know it and you know it. I'm willing to push you as hard and as far without crossing a line to get you there."

Callie's eyes narrowed as she stared Felina down. "Okaying me to date Hernan wasn't over the line?" _There is no line if that's the case!_

Felina sighed again. "I've seen how you look at him on TV and pictures. I thought you fell for him."

Callie shook her head. It was hard to stay angry with Felina over this, knowing Felina seemed to think she was the cure for all that was wrong with the world. She was still upset, though. She could not believe Felina and this martyr complex she had.

"Why the hell are you so damn noble?" Callie growled.

Felina ran a hand through her hair. "I've never had an actual person to want things for in my adult life. I want the world for you, kitten, and I'd do anything in my power to get it for you. If you asked me the burn this whole stinking town to the ground right now, I would."

Callie sucked her teeth. She knew that was true. If she asked anything of Felina — even something outrageous and against her nature — Felina would get it done. Again, it was hard to stay angry at her for things like this.

"You listen to me, and you listen good, you put me before my destiny or what I deserve outside of you or anything else, okay? I'm first and foremost," Callie stated, putting her hands on Felina's cheeks. Felina nodded and Callie smiled. "Good."

"Sorry…" Felina whispered.

"Don't be sorry. Be my mate."

"I am."

"Then act like it."

"I will." Felina looked her in the eye. "I won't assume anything about your desires again."

Callie chuckled and shook her head. "I don't know about all of that." There were times when they both enjoyed Felina assuming everything about Callie's desires.

Felina smirked. "Okay, I won't assume anything about the big things. I don't want to lose you. I will put _you_ first, not your destiny, not the awesome things I know you're going to do, but you, yourself."

"Good."

There was a moment of silence. "So, what the hell is this about Hernan kissing you? I know you didn't want it, so he just stole a kiss?"

And now she would have to save Hernan's life. This was too much for one morning. "He misread the situation."

"Oh, hell, yeah he did! Who kisses someone else's mate? What the hell?" Felina threw her arms up and snarled.

Now, this was the reaction Callie expected. "He thinks he's in love with me."

Felina sat up all of the way, almost throwing Callie off of her, but Felina's hands on her back kept her in place. "He thinks what?" Breakfast hit the floor with a thud that echoed through the room.

Callie put her hands on Felina's shoulders. "I set him straight. I told him I'm with you and I love you and he had no right to kiss me."

"No shit he had no right to kiss you!" Felina took her by the biceps and picked her up, moving her to the floor with ease. She shot up from the bed. "Where the hell is my phone?"

"What are you going to do?"

"Call that bastard up! Have him meet me and then punch him in the face! Hell, punch him in the face if he's lucky!" Felina roared as she scanned the room like a mad bull.

"Sweetheart, I need you to calm down. I kept calm because I know how much you want this mayor thing for me and I do want it, too. So, we don't want to lose his money," Callie reminded her.

Felina turned to her, looking at her with big eyes. "Can't Nia cover it? Besides, I doubt we'll lose Desi. He's a good guy." She sighed. "Of course, I thought Hernan was a good guy, too, which is why I trusted him with you." She gnashed her teeth. "Where is my phone?" she practically howled and the search was back on.

"Lina…"

Felina turned again with her face twisted up. "You wanted me angry and now that I am, you want me to calm down. I don't understand. What do you want from me? I saved this guy's life. I trusted him with you and he does this. Everyone told me I was crazy when I said he was looking at you all gooey eyed."

Callie blinked. "Wait, what?"

"On TV and the pictures. His look changed. I guess… I just thought yours did, too, based on what I was seeing with him."

Callie shook her head. "You're an idiot."

"I am. I know it. You knew it when you gave yourself to me."

Callie could not call her a liar on that one. Plus, this was a matter they needed to settle. "No punching. He's kind of my friend." Maybe one day, she could forgive him for this and they could move on.

Felina folded her arms across her chest. "I'll just put my foot in his ass then."

"Lina," Callie said sternly.

"Fine. You gonna help me find my phone now?"

Callie eyed her mate for a second before deciding to help. How were they going to patch this mess? The last thing they needed was in-fighting, but Hernan definitely needed to be confronted over his actions.

-8-8-8-8-

Felina pushed the doors of the campaign office so hard they sounded like thunder as they banged into the wall. Part of her just wanted to tear the damn things off the hinges. The Onca brothers jumped as soon as she entered. Callie was right behind her, but that did not stop her from punching Hernan right on the cheek. The crack of bone on bone echoed through the space. Hernan dropped like a sack of cement.

"Felina!" Desi barked, glaring at her.

"You fucking touch my mate again and a punch will be the least of your worries!" Felina snarled down at Hernan while Callie held onto both of her arms. She flinched, moving like she might hit Hernan again, but she would not. Not until he was on his feet again and not until she was certain she would not hurt her mate. "You think your thousand dollar suit gives you the right to kiss someone else's mate? What did you think? 'She just needs a good tomkat in her life'? 'I can turn her'? 'I know what's best because I'm a fucking rich male'?" Felina had no idea her voice could get that loud until now.

Desi blinked and looked down at his brother as he started helping Hernan up. "You didn't…" He shook his head. "Hernan, tell me you didn't."

Hernan could only glance away, blood dripping from his nose. He pulled the pocket square from his jacket pocket and held it to his nose, saying nothing. Felina snarled and Callie actually had to hold her back this time. This was unbelievable. He was such a coward!

"What the hell made you think you could just kiss my mate?" Felina demanded, stomping her foot.

"She has feelings for me," Hernan had the nerve to say.

Callie almost fell over trying to keep Felina away from Hernan, but Callie snarled at him like she might hit him. "Liar! We went over this in the car ride!"

"Hernan, tell me you did not kiss Callie," Desi snarled, clutching the lapels of his brother's suit jacket.

"I love her," Hernan insisted, looking desperate to be understood.

Desi did a double take before glaring up at his brother. "You what? What the hell is wrong with you?" He shook Hernan.

"You wanted me to get out more, wanted me to spend time out of the office, do like you do. I did!" Hernan argued, trying to push away. Desi had a good grip on him, though.

Desi looked like he might actually pop a blood vessel in his face. "I wanted you to get a hobby and date, not try to steal the mate of the reason we're even alive today! You didn't seem to understand the gift she gave us! After that, I realized time was short and I wanted to spend time with my son, my wife, and grow my family. You went back to your desk, like it was the same shit! Now, you try to tell me, you were just doing what I wanted by kissing Callie?"

Hernan shook his head. "I just wanted…" He sounded on the verge of tears, but Felina still wanted to put her boot in his ass.

"Oh, now, it's what you wanted! Nothing about what anyone else here wanted. Are you really this fucking selfish?" Desi snarled and shoved his brother away. He paced loudly, pounding footsteps echoing in the empty office, before motioning to Felina with his hand. "She saved our lives and almost died in the process!"

"I get that!" Hernan looked at them with pleading eyes. "I really get that. I would never do anything to hurt you, Felina. I don't know what happened. It was just…" He sighed and had the nerve to smile at Felina. "She's magic and I was out of line. I had no right." He looked at Callie. "I had no right."

"So, we're supposed to just accept some half-ass apology from you?" Felina snarled and tried to jump at him. Callie held her back and she controlled herself to avoid hurting her lover.

"What else would you have me do? Should I prostrate myself before you?" Hernan asked, pressing his hands to his chest, but managing to sound like he thought that was a little bit outrageous.

"That's a start!" his brother hissed. He paced up and down the office lobby. He then let out a soul-splitting scream, tearing at the air. "I wanna fucking punch you right now! I mean, really, do our lives mean nothing to you?"

Hernan sighed and wiped his face daintily with his pocket square. "It's not that. It's just…" A tear actually escaped his eye. "This was the first time I felt like I had a life beyond the office. You were already married and had your kit, but I only had the business. But, going out with Callie to those fundraisers and parties… I finally felt like I understood."

With a groan, Felina shook her head. "This happened because Hernan is awkward and can't date." She curled her lip, still wanting to punch him face in.

Desi shook his head. "I don't believe this. I just assured Felina there was nothing going on, that you were just friends with Miss Briggs. Baast, how stupid do I look?" He threw his hands up.

"Is there any way I can make this up to you?" Hernan pled.

Felina doubted this. She could not trust this kat. He was just another tomkat who thought he had rights to a female just because he was a tom. Entitled and spoiled, Hernan was just someone else who thought he could control the world, females included. Frowning, Felina shook her head.

"I don't think there is," Callie said.

Hernan's face fell. "I didn't… I didn't mean…" He took a deep breath as another tear fell from his eye. "There has to be something." His voice trembled.

"It's odd. You weren't this worried or nervous when you leaned in to kiss my mate, were you?" Felina demanded. How dare he stand before them in tears? He was not the wronged party. "Do you think she was just someone you could have? Do you think she owes you? Do you think she's brought and paid for?"

"Of course not! I respect her and you. I'm sorry about this. I thought…" Hernan shook his head, scratching the top of his skull. His jaw quivered a little. "It doesn't matter what I thought."

"No, it doesn't. You didn't get that before this, though?" Felina said.

Hernan's mouth trembled even more. He was actually broken up about this, but it too little too late. Felina turned away, not wanting to watch this pathetic scene anymore. He would gain no sympathy from her. _And to think, I was ready to walk away from my queen if this made bastard made her happy_. Callie followed her to the door. Desi trotted after them.

"Wait," Desi called.

"Desi, go back to Hernan," Felina sighed. The last thing she wanted to do was come between the brothers, especially since they were so close.

"I understand why you're upset, but you know I'm upset as well. I named my daughter after you, Felina. You'll never know how much I'm indebted to you. I want you to understand that," Desi said.

"But, your brother is your brother," Felina replied.

"He is and what he did was wrong. I'm not making excuses for him, but Hernan has been lonely for a long time, especially since I decided to have a life. He adores you just as much as I do. He likes Miss Briggs, too. He wasn't thinking when he did this. It wasn't that he felt like he had a privilege over you, Miss Briggs."

Callie shook her head. "You don't have to explain things for him."

"I don't want either of you to hate him. Yes, he overstepped very much and we're all aware he caused a lot of pain, but it's not because he's entitled or spoiled. Is there any way either of you would forgive him? He's not bad. Just confused and… socially, outside of business stuff, he might as well be a teenager, okay?" Desi said.

Felina nodded, knowing this to be somewhat true. Maybe one day, she would forgive Hernan, just not today. Hell, she would not even forgive herself today. She glanced down at Callie. She was not quite so certain Callie would _ever_ forgive him. She could only hope Callie would forgive her.

"We need to go," Felina stated. She did not want to be around either brother right now and she had to work on making things up to Callie herself. _Shit, I have a lot of work ahead of myself_.

"I know. Don't worry. We'll still win this election," Desi said with a strong nod.

Felina did not care about the election, but it was nice to know they still had the financial backing they needed it. She put her arm around Callie's waist and Callie pulled in close. Callie walked with her back to the car.

"Maybe…" Callie started to say, but then shook her head.

"Don't make any decisions about the future just yet," Felina replied as she opened the car door for Callie. She feared Callie was about to back out of the election, if only to put some distance between them and Hernan. It was unnecessary right now. If not that, then Callie would try to figure out how to get along with Hernan or feel guilty about taking his money.

Callie nodded and then slid into the car. "His brother has a point."

Felina got behind the wheel. "You don't have to forgive him."

"You will."

With a nod, Felina allowed for a half-smirk. "Well, I'm an idiot. We already established that." She was an idiot who knew what loneliness was like. But, she would not forgive Hernan any time soon.

Callie smiled a little. "It's one of the things I love about you."

Felina smiled. "Does this mean you forgive me?" This was way more important to her than dealing with Hernan.

"I'm going to be upset with you for a little while, but I'll always forgive you, sweetheart. I love you, after all. You have to forgive yourself, too, you know that, right?"

A light, low chuckle escaped Felina. "How do you know me so well?"

"Because I love you. I know you're upset with yourself because you actually tried to push me away. You just have to stop trying to fall on your sword for me. I keep telling you that. Hell, I've been telling you this for the better part of a year."

Felina nodded. This was definitely a habit she would need to work herself out of. She did not want to do something too stupid for them to come back from. She took Callie's hand and kissed her knuckles.

"I don't want to lose you," Felina said.

"Then stop pushing me away," Callie replied. Felina nodded again. _I definitely will stop doing that_.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Callie takes Felina with her to an event.


	11. Bite Force

I don't own these characters.

A/N: sexual activity ahead.

11: Bite Force

After the confrontation with the Onca brothers — more specifically Hernan — Callie and Felina returned home. Felina had work, but she was clearly too riled up to be of any use to anyone at Enforcers' Headquarters. Callie made the call after pushing Felina down onto the sofa.

"You need to calm down," Callie said. "Let me make you some warm milk."

Felina did not respond. She just clenched and unclenched her fists. Tense did not begin to cover Felina's obvious condition. Callie was certain if she could tip Felina over, Felina would shatter on impact with the floor.

Callie sighed as she collected what she needed to make the warm milk and was about to heat it on the stove. She was just about to turn the dial for the burner when she was embraced from behind. Before she could ask what Felina was doing, she felt lips on her neck and she could guess what Felina was doing.

Callie turned for a proper kiss, but she got pushed against the counter instead. Okay, she understood. Felina needed to be in complete control right now. So, she leaned against the counter, but also pushed her ass against Felina, drawing a groan from her beloved.

"Don't move," Felina hissed.

Callie nodded. She would do her best. Felina's lips were back on her neck, doing magical things to her nerve-endings. Hands roamed her hips, her ass, and then ventured to her breasts. She moaned, loudly, wanting Felina to know exactly what this was doing to her, as she kneaded Callie's breasts through her clothes.

"Need…" Callie hissed as Felina gave her breast a particularly rough squeeze that sent a raw jolt right between her legs. The idea of Felina claiming her made her knees weak and it was hard to stay upright. "Naked…"

"Need naked?" Felina whispered in her ear. Even her breath against Callie's flesh was enough to make her quiver.

"Wanna feel you," Callie replied and then moaned loudly again as Felina tweaked her nipple.

Felina nipped her neck. "Then go on the bed and assume the position."

A shiver raced up Callie's spine. She had no problem doing that. She did not want to seem overeager, so it took a lot of willpower to walk normally to the bedroom. She stripped as quickly as she could, though, and climbed onto the bed, on all fours, tail in the air.

She had been like this several times over the course of the relationship and it always made her feel so many different things at once. There was always this thrill of anticipation, but there was also security and this joy in her heart she could hardly describe. Felina was the only kat she would ever do this for Felina, the only kat she felt safe enough to do this with. Right now, Felina needed a reminder.

Her ear twitched as she heard Felina's footsteps enter the room. She glanced up to see Felina admiring her. She smiled a little.

"Head down," Felina said.

Callie nodded. _Felina needs complete control and to give orders_. Fine with her. She trusted Felina and Felina needed to see that.

She could hear clothing rustling, so Felina must have stripped. The bed dipped and then strong hands caressed her sides. Felina stroked her spine, going from the nape of her neck to the base of her tail. She purred from each move along her spine and then moaned as the other hand rolled her nipple.

"Lina," she groaned. "Want you so badly," she mumbled. She had never wanted a kat as badly as she did Felina.

"Shhh…" Felina palmed her breast. "I've got you, kitten." Her other hand wandered from Callie's back to her ass.

Callie was about to say something, but the words caught in her throat as Felina rolled her nipple again. Groaning, her head dropped down as Felina's fingers glided through her arousal. Felina touched her just right, perfect pace and pressure. This was a true connection, a real bond. Callie thought she might climax before Felina got through everything she wanted to do.

"Please, Lina," Callie said. She would never beg anyone else, only Felina. Felina knew that.

"I've got you, kitten," Felina repeated and leaned over her in order to nip her ear. Callie mewed as jolts shot from her ear to between her legs. Feeling Felina's body over her was so amazing, even if it was more just the pressure over her than Felina's actually body.

Callie wanted to turn her head, wanted to kiss Felina, but she had been ordered to keep her head down. She would follow orders. Felina was the only one who could order her around like this. _The things she does to me_. The thought made her groan.

She had to exhale as Felina's hands continued to just play with her, feel her, caress her. Felina nipped her ears and kissed her neck, all at her leisure. Callie found herself taking deep, soothing breaths to keep herself from saying anything. She wanted Felina to take all the time she needed, even if this sort of touch bordered on torture.

As minutes passed and the light stroking continued, Callie was not sure if she would be able to hold herself up any longer and that was confirmed as Felina slid inside with one finger. Callie fell into the pillow and moaned into the pillowcase.

"Oh, Lina!" Callie keened as Felina moved within her. It was slow, gentle, as if Felina were just learning the paces. This would not last long.

Felina took hold of Callie's tail and put it over her shoulder. Callie knew to brace herself. Too bad the bed could not brace itself and the headboard slammed against the wall as Felina increased her pace. Callie could not be silent as Felina added another finger, crying out to the room. Callie pushed back and Felina pulled her along by her tail before her hand wandered. The roaming hand ended up on her breast pulled her nipple once more before wandering between her legs, caressing her just right. Felina leaned down and kissed, then bite at the nape of her neck. This was too much. It was like electricity danced down every single nerve in her body.

Her climax hit Callie hard, exploding out and hugging Felina's fingers. Pleasure shot through her, burning down every inch in her body. She collapsed onto the bed as her mind with numb from ecstasy.

When the world came back into focus, Callie felt Felina kissing her shoulders. She purred as Felina spooned her. Strong arms around her made her feel safe and connected. She rested her hands on Felina's forearms.

"We're mates, okay?" Callie said in a low voice.

"I know. I didn't mean to demean what we have earlier," Felina replied, her voice low as well.

"I know. What I need you to understand, Lina, is that you're the only person I've ever had this with. I've never presented myself to someone. I've never taken orders in bed. I've never allowed myself to be dominated like I do with you. I trust you wholeheartedly and this isn't something that comes easy." She needed Felina to understand there was no way for some tomkat to wine and dine her or take her out a couple of times and she would suddenly fall into his lap.

"I know. It's just… Callie, you're amazing and you could have anyone you want. Sometimes, it blows my mind you want me."

Callie turned, just enough to look Felina in the face. She reached a hand up, caressing Felina's cheek. Felina smiled just a little, but her eyes looked so sad. Then, Callie thought about how much rejection her mate had gone through in her life. Felina had to think it was so easy to cast her away.

"I will always want you. I love you. You're not disposable to me or interchangeable. You give me everything and more. You are everything and more. Do you understand?"

Felina blinked and a tear trailed out of her eye, but she nodded. "I know."

"Good." Callie knew she had a journey ahead of her, though. Beyond this thing with becoming mayor, she would have to build Felina up. Underneath the tough, daredevil pilot hero, there was still a vulnerable female, who had been told her whole life that who she was wrong and that she was not worth it. So, while Felina pushed her toward her dreams, she had to remember to nurture that rejected kit inside of Felina.

-8-8-8-8-

"You can't attend anything alone or with Felina!" Jinx yelled, throwing her hands up.

Felina and Callie and their prides were at the campaign HQ. Desi was present, but Hernan was not. Callie was happy for that and Felina seemed relaxed, which was good considering how tense she was on the drive over. No one explained his absence, and Callie made sure to jump right into business to avoid questions. Of course, opening with the fact that she would not be going out with Hernan probably was not the best thing.

"It doesn't sound safe to go alone," Mel chimed in, leaning coolly against the wall.

"Yeah, there have been more pack attacks as the election gets closer and people seem to think they can spot a lion or a lioness easy," Tiger pointed out.

"And with you, it is easy," Rita said.

"Fine." Callie rolled her eyes. "With Felina then." She motioned to her mate, who stood by her. "I'm done shying away from my relationship. I'm not ashamed of Felina and I'm not ashamed of being in a stable relationship with her. I won't lie to win the election. In fact, if people pick Steele over me just because I'm with Felina, they deserve to go down burning. And I will say that to them if necessary." She made a show of taking Felina's hand and holding it.

Jinx's face fell, practically hitting the floor. "You can't do that! We're almost a shoo-in to win this thing right now. If you antagonize the people, they could turn on you."

"And that's their issue. I'm done walking on eggshells," Callie declared.

Jinx turned to Felina and clasped his hands together. "Talk to her. Tell her that's political suicide."

Felina laughed. "You think we didn't have this talk? But, I get it. I didn't compromise myself for my job. Why should she have to? She's spent the last year trying to make things safe for lions and lionesses. Why hide now? If people don't elect her just because she's dating me, she's okay with that and I've accepted that."

Callie smiled. It took a lot of convincing and even some yelling to get Felina to let go of this idea that Callie's destiny and the work she could possibly do was not as important as their relationship. Pretending was damaging, not just to their relationship, but in general. It made it seem like they were doing something wrong, like there was something wrong with same-sex couples. Felina agreed with all of this, but Callie knew it was a work in progress. They would probably have this conversation again, if only to remind Felina, but for now, they were on the same page.

Jinx's face fell. "You're kidding, right? What are you two going to do if Steele wins? You know he's going to come after you. He's got a thing against you."

Felina gave a nonchalant shrug. "He hasn't beaten us yet. We can handle him."

Jinx actually pulled at his hair and then looked around at everyone else in the room. "Surely you can talk to her. The election is around the corner. We have one more debate to go. Why throw it all away?"

"She would throw it all away if she did this on anything beyond her own terms," Rita said.

"One of the reasons we want Callie as mayor is because she has principles, morals, and she doesn't discard people because they are of no use to her. If people can't see she is the better choice over Steele, then, yes, they deserve whatever hell he puts them through," Nia added.

"So, you don't care that you're throwing money away?" Jinx challenged Nia and Desi.

Nia glanced at Desi, as if wanting to give him a chance to answer. He stepped back a little, probably shocked by her graciousness. It would seem Nia had learned a little something from this campaign.

"I didn't throw money away. We know there is a segment of the population who isn't stupid or prejudice and I know I can at least fight for them now," Desi said.

"When this is all over, we can start a charity organization if you'd like," Nia proposed. "Richard Leonhart will want in, though." She sneered. Callie could understand this annoyance they felt toward Richard, but underneath his obnoxious familiarity and comfortable condescension, he was a good guy.

Desi sighed. "I like the idea. I'm not fond of the company." But, he smiled. "His brother isn't joining this venture, correct?"

Nia shook her head. "I don't think any of us would ever join anything that allows for him. We can have Callie make a speech at the charity regardless of the outcome of this, as I'm sure it'll link to her political views."

Desi nodded. "Sounds good. I like where you're going with this."

Jinx threw up his hands. "So, this is it then?"

"You're quite the defeatist, Mister Jinx. Desi, is he always like this?" Callie asked.

"He's a political specialist, so this was the first time I employed his services," Desi replied.

Nia frowned. "Next time, we use my PR firm."

Desi did not argue and Callie was all for that if there was a next time. It was nice to know Nia seemed to think there would be. There were only a couple of weeks before the election. Maybe Callie would be able to hold onto her lead, even though she was determined to be seen with Felina now. Surely the people who were voting for her would not be so stupid as to vote for Steele just because she came out with Felina, right?

"Okay, what if you just went out alone then?" Jinx suggested.

"She's never alone," Blue reminded him. They went through a lot of trouble to act as security for Callie when they could and when they could not, they put together a nice little detail that blended in well with all crowds to be with her.

Mara and Katarina stood a little taller, as if to remind Jinx of their presence. They had been amazing in keeping Callie safe and she doubted she would be able to repay them. Of course, whenever she mentioned this, they made it seem crazy for her to want to pay them back. Nia cut the pair a look and smirked a little.

"Well, alone as far as cameras are concerned," Jinx clarified.

"This isn't a compromise. I'm simply living the way I live. If I have to go out, I will do so with Felina, as I do," Callie replied. She glanced at Felina. "As long as you're not going to be too uncomfortable at those things."

Felina shrugged. "I should get used to these things. After all, you're going to be going to even more when you're mayor."

Callie smiled. _She's so confident in me_. It made definitely filled her with aplomb. "And you will definitely have to accompany me then. People will always be asking where my mate is."

"I know, so I might as well get into the swing of it. So, any parties or fundraisers or whatever they are, I will be there."

"And you can accompany me on stage from now on."

Felina did not argue that one. She wanted to be closer in case something happened. Security had been able to keep incidents at a minimum, but they had found weapons on too many kats at rallies for Callie. There would always be a part of the population who did not forget she was a lioness and thought the only good lioness was a dead lioness, but Callie seemed to be making that number shrink. Maybe if she pressed on, she could get it to where the haters would be viewed as the plagues on society rather than the lionesses.

"So, nothing I say can change your mind?" Jinx asked.

"Nothing at all," Callie replied. Not that he had much sway over her at all. If they did this again, she would let Nia consult her.

-8-8-8-8-

Felina took a breath. She had felt less nervous in combat situations than she did as her and Callie's town car came to a halt. Had she known agreeing to go out with Callie would make her so anxious, she would have better mentally prepared. What if she said or did something embarrassing? She was not used to dealing with wealthy people, beyond saving their property anyway.

Callie reached out and took her hand. "It'll be fine."

Felina nodded, mostly because she could not think of words to say and she was certain this would hold true for the night. She would just stand there and let Callie do all of the talking, unless someone said something directly to her. With that plan in mind, she felt the butterflies in her stomach settle slightly. When the car door opened, she was able to step out without feeling like she might throw up.

Flashes blinded Felina when she got out of the car and things seemed to get more intense when she reached out for Callie's hand. As she helped Callie out of the car, Felina feared she might never see again. She put her arm around Callie's waist, securing Callie against her.

"Hold your head up high, love," Callie whispered to her.

"I always will." She had to do surveillance, after all.

"And just walk. Don't answer any questions you don't want to," Callie coached as they started up the stairs. They were at a museum to attend a fundraiser.

Felina nodded. She had no plans to talk, starting now. Instead, she focused on getting up the stairs and making sure they were safe. She could barely make out what the reporters asked. Only when Callie paused did she realize what one question was.

"Where's Hernan tonight, Miss Briggs? Why are you out with Felina Feral?"

Callie smiled. "I'm here with Felina Feral because she looks better in a suit and she's my mate."

Callie said it so casually that Felina could not help smiling. The reporter seemed a bit shocked by this and was speechless for just enough time to allow for their getaway. They continued to run the gauntlet. Callie paused a couple more times, just to emphasis she was with Felina.

Once inside, Felina felt like she was trapped with the who's who of Megakat City and they all seemed to be very much taken with her queen. She could understand that. Callie had the ability to make it seem like the sun came up at her whim. Her smile was enough to make some people want to give her all of their worldly possessions, Felina included.

"Captain Feral, it is a little shocking to see you here," a kat said as he approached her.

"Why is it a shock?" Felina inquired. "Mister…?" With him standing close, she knew exactly who he was. Another captain of industry of the city.

"Khan. I've noticed your candidate has been attending these sorts of drab events with the more boring of the Onca brothers."

"Yes, well, my candidate wanted someone more accustomed to navigating these things with her at first. Now, that it looks like she's going to win, it's been agreed I should get used to attending."

He nodded and then he looked her up and down, studying her, not checking her out. "You seem confident."

Felina cocked an eyebrow. "Well, are you going to throw money behind Steele? Honestly?"

He chuckled, deep and rich, and scratched his nose with a manicured claw. "I haven't made billions of dollars by backing fools."

"Then, are you using that money to back Callie?"

"I'm not sure if I want to do so. Her idea of raising minimum wage bothers me. But, I can say that she is obviously a thinker. I would never mistake Steele as a thinker. If nothing else, I have used what I can to convince people to not vote for Steele."

Felina nodded. "So, you don't mind that she's with me?"

"Why should I mind? Again, I am fond of thinkers and I think. If her being with someone who has no qualm with almost dying for her is an issue for me, I should take a better look at myself. Isn't that what most people are looking for?"

She eyed him, trying to figure out his angle. "Then, why stop me? Why talk to me?"

"You and your crew flying those Hellcats. Such talent." He pressed his fingers together. "Are you aware I have a company that makes planes?"

"I know." He made airplanes for the military, though.

"Would you consider flying for me?"

It was her turn to laugh. "I think you'd donate money to Steele before I leave the Enforcers for a private sector job."

"But, so many air force pilots and others come work for my company when they leave."

"I know, but I want to save people more than I want to fly planes. If you're looking for amazing pilots, though, I think you should be more open to hiring female pilots. There are a very good number of us and some of them are even better than I am," she informed him. Not many were better than she was in general, but there were some.

"Hmm…" He rubbed his chin. "Just you suggesting it, I will take it under advisement. After all, you are a great pilot and a female. Surely, there are more of you."

"I can think of three others right off the top of my head. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to Callie." Felina moved to go, but he blocked her. He was kind of large and she could not just throw him from her path. "What?"

"How big of a donation do I need to make to Miss Briggs' war chest to get you to change your mind, hero?" he asked.

Felina stared at him and then smiled. She did not say anything, but she got it. He liked her. He might not be a fan of Callie, but he liked her, probably more than he liked Hernan. She could not work out why he liked her, though. They barely talked a minute and he was a fan. Maybe he was a fan before he even talked to her.

"How about you introduce me to some of your friends and we can talk?" Felina suggested. She might be able to do something here, after all. If she could help Callie, then that would be great, but also if she could help open these guys up to hiring females more often, that would also be great.

He laughed again. "My dear, you have quite a bit to learn. The Khan has no friends, but I can introduce you to those who hate me."

Felina chuckled a bit, too. "Did you think you might have more friends if you didn't refer to yourself as 'The Khan'?"

He walked off and she followed, even though she knew he was not kidding about being hated. She heard about him, not friendly, cutthroat, and supposedly corrupt. The colony had investigated him several times, but never came up with anything. He was one of the reasons she wished she could steer clear of this things. A charming, wealthy sociopath, thinking he could do whatever he wanted to whomever he wanted without any consequences. Of course, this was the city Manx built, so why not?

While meeting new and not-very-interesting people, Felina watched Callie out of the corner of her eye and knew Callie did the same to her. Callie looked like a dream in her pearl white gown. She could have very easily been a princess at a ball. Well, a queen at a ball and it was in this moment, Felina realized she wanted to come to all of these if only to see Callie move, glide, float, and draw kats into her orbit like a bright star.

 _She's charmed all of these people and they don't even realize it, even this hard-ass Khan_. Felina hated that she could understand how Hernan fell in love with Callie watching her in these situations. She was enchanting.

Before they left the party, Felina and Callie found themselves plastered all over the news. They were out… again. It was odd. The media acted as if this was new. It was all right until they had to leave the party and had dozens of recording devices and microphones shoved in their faces. Beyond the reporters, there were lines of angry kats with the reporters unwittingly acting as a protective buffer. Felina and Callie practically ran to the car.

Callie laughed and tucked in close once they were safe in the car. "That was funner than it should've been."

"The run to the car or the party as a whole?" Felina asked, wrapping her arms around Callie.

"The party. You looked very comfortable," Callie replied.

Felina snorted. "You only say that to convince me to come out again."

"You're going to come out again regardless. We're the couple of the hour again."

Shaking her head, Felina sighed. "I hate the attention. Do you know how many idiots I'll have to keep away now?" It would be like when they were first outed and stupid kats tried to harm them on a daily basis.

"I think I have some idea, love." Callie was there the first time this happened, after all.

"I should just hire Mara, Blue, and Katarina to follow you full time when I'm not around." Mara, Blue, and Katarina had very flexible hours and could always use the extra money.

"I'll be fine. I can take care of myself. I have a detail already."

"I know you can and I know you do. I just prefer it when you have help, help I can trust with your life."

Callie smiled. Felina tried to smile, if only to reassure her lover, but she could not do so. She worried over Callie and she needed to do something to make sure Callie was safe.

-8-8-8-8-

The final debate was a war zone, to the point where Enforcers had to actually arrest people. The hatred for lionesses had flared up again, as Felina and Callie "flaunted" their relationship and those people supported Steele. They had been coming out in heated droves ever since Felina and Callie went to that fundraiser together. They showed up at the debate and attacked Callie's supporters almost immediately. There was talk of possibly shutting the event down and Steele did not seem very broken up about it when Commander Feral came on stage to tell them.

"That's what you want, isn't it, Steele? You don't want all of these people to see you pounced by a female, a lioness no less?" Callie said, glaring up at Steele.

He stared right back with a smug smirk. "Do you really think that'll happen? You're delusional as well as a perverted and your followers are disgusting."

"Either way, if this gets any more heated, the Enforcers will clear this whole area," Commander Feral stated in his usual booming voice, folding his arms across his chest to let them know what he said was final. He tried to out-glare them, but Callie was certain she could beat him if they had enough time.

"You can't clear the area. This is an official election event," Steele challenged the Commander.

Feral did not bend. "Try me."

Thankfully, the Enforcers got control of the very large crowd. Callie and Steele made their way to their podiums. Felix Mau, one of the top journalist in the city, would be the moderator for this last official debate. He liked Callie and had interviewed her several times over the course of the year, but he would be objective. After all, it was hard to find a respectable journalist who would not laugh in Steele's face over many things.

"If everyone could settle down, so we can begin," Felix said.

The auditorium did not comply. They had literally picked sides and were barking at each other from across the room. The Enforcers were able to get them under control to a degree yet again. Once everyone was settled — or as settled as they would get — the debate was underway.

Callie focused on the questions, but the crowd was so unruly, especially the people screaming slurs about her. The Enforcers escorted anyone out who caused a disturbance, but it was still distracting. The worst of it was Felina, her pride, and her crew moving through the crowd. Something was happening. Felix asked a question, but Callie was too busy scanning the mob for a threat.

"Gun!" Callie heard someone scream and then there was a shot.

Callie flinched before ducking down like everyone else, hiding behind her podium. There was screaming and chaos, the sound of heavy footfalls, items crashing, and general panic. Callie tried to see what was happening, but someone from her security detail charged over to her and grabbed her off stage.

"Where's Felina?" Callie demanded.

"Ma'am, I need you to move!" He practically dragged her off to safety.

"Felina!" Callie screamed.

Callie was yanked toward a "safe place." She had no idea what happened for longer than she liked. Her four-kat security team did not leave her side, but they looked around, like something was going on. And then Felina showed up, clutching her shoulder, which was wrapped in a thick, white bandages.

"Are you kidding me?" Callie shot up, marching over to Felina. "What the hell, sweetheart?"

"Uh, he was planning to shoot you, so shouldn't I get a kiss?" Felina asked with a shrug.

"You jump on a guy who was planning to shoot me when you already hired security to protect me?" It took all of Callie's willpower not to shove Felina. Maybe the burning in her lungs and the twisting in her stomach helped hold her back.

Felina stared down at her with hard eyes. "No one is ever going to move faster than me to get you out of danger. No one. That's why I was on the guy first."

"And look at what happened!" Callie hissed, motioning harshly to her gauze-wrapped shoulder.

Felina shrugged and laughed. "It's fine. You worry too much."

Callie had to hit her, slapping Felina in her good shoulder. "Do you just not care about my feelings at all?"

"Of course I do! I just saved your life."

"At the risk of your own! You already know how I feel about this. How am I supposed to go on without you? Stop being a martyr." This aspect of Felina's personality would be the death of her, Callie was sure of it.

"I was saving your life!" Felina threw her hands up and then hissed, flinching in pain. "Damn it." She clutched her injured shoulder.

This might have raged on for a while, but suddenly there were cameras in their faces. Reporters shouted questions. Felix pushed his way to the front, but was no different from the others, pushing a mic toward them.

"Is this is a bad time, ladies?" Felix had the nerve to smirk.

"It's a bad time in the sense Felina almost got killed, yes. It's a bad time in the sense that some guy took a shot at me." Callie blinked and turned to Felina. "Wait, why did he take a shot at me?"

Felina rolled her eyes. "Lioness, of course."

Callie sighed and shook her head. "Of course." She then turned back to the press. "Do you see this? Someone who dared to hate me just for loving this brave, crazy she-kat. I have something in her others only dream about. When your mate tells you they love you, like Felina tells me, do they mean they would jump in front of bullets for you? She's done it twice now. If you dare to judge me over who I love, tell me why I should be with a male who doesn't value me as much as Felina does? Would your mate jump in front of bullets for you? Do you know? I know."

Callie grabbed Felina and pulled her away before the reporters could say anything else. Thankfully, the security detail blocked their path, keeping the reporters from following them. Callie sighed as soon as they were in the clear and grabbed Felina into a tight hug, clutching Felina's shirt.

"You big idiot," Callie sniffled.

Felina hugged her back as best she could. "I'm sorry. I can't lose you, though."

"And that's why you're an idiot. You seem to think I could lose you."

"And you seem to think if I know you're in danger, I can just stand by and hope someone else will protect you. Wouldn't you jump in front of bullets for me?"

This was not a question that needed an answer because they both knew the answer. "We're quite the pair, aren't we?"

"Practically made for each other."

They were possibly the only ones who could appreciate and stand each other.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: election day.


	12. New Territory

I don't own these characters.

12: New Territory

"This is quite honestly the best thing I've ever had happen on a campaign," Jinx declared with a distasteful grin, earning groans and eye rolls.

"You should make a speech about the violence against lionesses while this is all fresh," Rita suggested to Callie. The whole campaign group was in the headquarters, watching news report after news report about the attempt on Callie's life and Felina's heroic rescue.

"Even though that was on the heels of a very distasteful comment, yes, maybe you should make a speech," Mel said from a seat by the wall, right next to Rita.

"Without getting shot at, preferably," Desi added.

"Yes, because I've been getting shot at on purpose," Callie snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Be that as it may, this attempt on your life has pushed violence against lions and lionesses into the media limelight. The election is a week away. You may or may not get another debate out of Steele and you may or may not win because you're a lionesses, but they can't deny this. Give the speech and have Felina stand next to you the whole time," Nia stated from her space on the sofa.

"Damn," Jinx muttered, rubbing his chin. "I like that idea."

"Yes, pity you didn't come up with it," Nia deadpanned. Callie was so certain if Nia could, she would rip Jinx's arms off and gleefully watch him bleed to death.

"Anyway, we should write a speech and, like Nia said, while you give it, Felina should stand right besides you, so everyone remembers exactly what happened," Rita said.

"Felina, I don't want to use you," Callie said.

Felina shook her head. "You wouldn't be using me at all. I would be a reminder. I want people to know what happens to suspected lions and lionesses all too often. Harmed just for daring to love someone."

With this Callie was fine with doing the speech then. Ultimately, she wanted to stand up for people who could not do so for themselves, be a voice for the voiceless. So, now they were working on a speech, days before the election, to remind the world once again that she was a lioness. Cue Jinx having a fussy fit in three… two… one.

"Wait, are we sure we want everyone to remember you're a couple?" Jinx asked.

"Yes," Nia groaned and put her hand over her face. "Remind me to buy his agency to fire him."

Mara, who happened to be next to Nia, patted her on the shoulder. Nia turned to her and smiled. The smile was short-lived.

Jinx had the nerve to glare at Nia. "You don't have that power."

A nearly demented smile curled onto Nia's face now, like ancient lioness on prey. "No? I do love a challenge. Tiger, make a note for me, please. Include what Jinx said in that note."

"Making a note!" Tiger pulled out a little notepad with a smile. It would seem he liked Jinx as much as the rest of them.

Jinx glared at Tiger, who just made his notes, not caring about Jinx's look at all. "Your little notes don't scare me," Jinx hissed.

Before things got out of hand, a newcomer caught their attention, strolling into the office. Captain Amelia Thompson made almost no sound, but still managed to catch the attention of the former air force in the room. When they turned, the others did the same.

"Captain." All of the air force climbed to their feet and saluted.

"At ease. I only wanted to check up on the good captain." Amelia motioned to Felina.

"I'm fine, sir. You know me and bullets," Felina answered with a shrug. She even scoffed, as if that made her seem tougher.

"Yes, one day I suppose I should sit down and tell your mate just how often you found bullets in the air force," Amelia remarked and then she turned to Callie, offering a frightening smile. "Madam Mayor."

"Not quite yet," Callie said.

The Captain's smile transformed into something more kind, but a little mocking and haughty. "It'll happen soon, of course. I'm sorry to interrupt. I truly just needed to check on Captain Feral. I know how reckless she is." Amelia glanced at Felina, eyes falling to the sling around her arm, and she grimaced slightly. "I know you have your hands full, Madam Mayor. I wish you luck with this one."

"I have faith that she's trainable," Callie teased, throwing a wink at her mate. Felina grunted, but did not say anything.

Amelia's eyebrow ticked up. "Positive reinforcement?"

Callie laughed. "Of course."

Amelia smirked. "Good luck. My husband responded better to negative reinforcement at first."

"Everyone's different."

The Captain nodded. "I'm sorry someone attempted to kill you over this, but it's good you have Captain Feral with you. You're in the best hands."

Callie nodded right back. "I know."

Amelia turned her attention back to Felina and her three air force cohorts. "I trust you all will take good care of our mayor."

"Us and others, sir," Felina replied.

"We're doing our best, sir," Katarina stated.

"And, I also trust three of you will pick up the pace and try to keep up with Captain Feral. You're all just as capable, yet she's the only one being bold. I recall more ambition from this crew, even though it often bordered on foolish," Amelia commented crisply. Heads went down in shame.

Callie felt a little bad for them, but assumed Amelia knew how to motivate this lot. They definitely had some catching up to do with Felina. There was no reason for Felina to be the first female captain in Enforcers history and her friends were barely scraping by in their jobs. Callie glanced at Nia. She would enlist Nia to help them after this was all over if they did not work things out on their own.

"Well, since I'm here, is there anything I could do to help the campaign?" Amelia asked, looking around the brainstorming session.

"You've done quite enough to have the military backing the campaign," Callie replied. The work veterans had put into her campaign was more than she could ever ask for. So many people from each branch of the military in Megakat City had been out there, pushing for people to vote for her. Steele had truly pissed them off in many different ways throughout his career.

Amelia rolled her eyes. "I haven't done much then. It was not a difficult charge to lead. You were the only candidate that made sense for any of us, especially since in the past Steele has made it seem like our achievements mean nothing compared to the Enforcers. I'll continue to campaign for you within the air force, but if you think of more, don't hesitate to let me know."

Callie nodded and just as quickly as she had come in, Amelia was gone with flair. The air force kats sighed and fell back into their seats. Felina was not even careful about her sling, just dropping down into the armchair. Callie decided not to admonish her.

"Let's get to work on this speech," Callie declared, rubbing her hands together. Her pride smiled.

"What can we do?" Mara asked, pointing to the members of her pride.

"Yeah, what can we do?" Tabby patted herself on the chest.

Callie smiled. They were always so eager to help and she was very lucky to have them. She looked around at her pride, hoping they had some suggestions.

"I'm sure you ladies all have suggestions for things we might be able to work into this speech. Everyone here has had their experiences with this leaniaphobic behavior of the city," Nia said.

"Oh, then I can help, too," Tiger chimed in. "I've got experience with liontaphobia."

Callie sighed. It was sad Tiger, who was a sweet kit, but a little too sassy for his good had to deal with hate for being himself. He was not a gib, per se, but he was just cheeky enough to make a kat stop and think something was different about him. It was not fair, though.

"Do you scratch their eyes out?" Blue teased Tiger.

"Honey, I'll have you know, my pride sports two guys who'd put all of you to shame." Tiger actually had the gall to point to Blue, Felina, Katarina, and Mara. They all pulled back, like a hive mind… an insulted hive mind.

"Okay, before you all start flexing and going off, let's stay focused," Callie said.

"But, seriously." Mara had to strike a pose and show off her arms as well as her shoulders.

"Yeah." Katarina held up one arm, showing off her biceps.

"No, no, no! We're not doing this." Callie waved the whole thing off. "We have a speech to work on and maybe some theatrics to go with it."

Tiger smirked. "Can I be in charge of theatrics?"

"Be in charge of getting everyone tea, dear," Nia ordered gently. Tiger snapped to it, though. Callie groaned. If she was not careful, Nia would steal away her assistant.

-8-8-8-8-

Felina stood silently by Callie's side as she delivered her speech about the hatred and crimes against lions and lionesses. Many off-duty Enforcers had volunteered to work security, along with former military. Captain Lidon was among them, along with Mara, Katarina, and Blue. Felina could not ask for better friends. Or a better squad, as they were there, too. And, of course, she was overwhelmed with the love from both Enforcers and the military. Apparently, intolerant idiots did not populate the city.

Felina scanned the crowd, which was huge. If there were any sign of suspicious movement, she would be on it. If not her, one of hers would definitely be on it. Maybe Mara. It would give her a chance to impress Nia.

All joking aside, this speech was possibly the most dangerous Callie had ever given just based on the people who showed up. Several kats had been pulled out for carrying weapons, three with guns that left the Enforcers envious. There had been a bomb threat, but it turned out to be a hoax. The hate was real and ran deep.

Callie made sure to mention all of these things in her speech, finding places for them as if they had been written in. She wanted to let people know hate and violence would not make her go away, would not make lions and lionesses go away, and would not change anything but the way normal people viewed those who used violence.

"Hate was never the way to better society," Callie concluded the speech in a powerful, clear voice. The crowd had applauded long and loud at that.

"They're cheering for us," Mara said in amazement as she looked around with wide eyes.

"I don't think regular kats hate us enough to take a shot at us," Katarina replied.

"Or so we hope," Blue stated.

Not even two hours after Callie's speech, Steele tried to counter her speech. His audience definitely was not as big and it did not have the same impact, probably because he did not have a wounded Enforcer Captain standing by his side. In order to make it seem like the violence was the answer, he made up a bunch of statistics about lions and lionesses molesting kittens.

"Lying prick!" Mara threw her container of fried shrimp at the television. They were all camped out in the campaign headquarters to watch Steele's speech. She was on the sofa, next to Nia, which seemed to be the usual now.

"Are you cleaning that up?" Felina asked, putting down her own lunch container.

"Are you cleaning your face up?" Mara countered.

"I could clean up yours," Felina replied, holding up her fist.

"They're such kittens," Nia commented and Mara actually looked hurt.

Mara sort of hunched over and pouted. Her pride laughed, especially when Nia patted her leg and Mara's spirits were visibly lifted. Nia glanced at Jinx. "So, are you going to call your media contacts and tell them to fact check Mister-Foot-in-Mouth-disease there or should I get on the phone?"

Jinx grumbled something, but moved to do as Nia suggested. Callie laughed and grabbed her own phone. Nia and Desi ended up doing the same. Between them, they knew enough journalists to show Steele to be a liar. This was a habit they had gotten into early in the campaign, every single time Steele opened his mouth, but it did not stop him from lying through his teeth whenever he got a chance.

Jinx actually giggled when they were done. "This is going to reflect so poorly on him I'd be surprised if Steele doesn't even get votes from his fanatics. I mean, going after a hero who just jumped on a bullet to save her mate who is also a candidate for mayor? No one wants government to work through assassination."

"That way sounds like a lot more fun, though," Blue remarked.

"And this is why no one trusts you with stable employment," Katarina remarked.

Blue rolled her eyes and snorted. "I'm currently a full time security consult, thank you very much."

"Although, we should start seriously reconsidering that," Felina said.

"Or perhaps we should consider alternative employment for when this job is over," Nia commented. "Especially, you, Penny. You've been very handy with office work."

Penny perked up. "You think so? I was an office manager a few years ago. I ended up fired after…" She mumbled something, but they all knew what it was reference to. "I just couldn't get out of bed and work wasn't enough to make me go."

"I'm sure I can find some place for you, if you would like," Nia offered.

Penny smiled and nodded. "Thank you. I'll have to think about it a little." She would probably talk it over with her pride.

The moment ended as reports came in about Steele's speech. They all stuck around for the news to see Steele's entire speech picked apart by multiple media sources. It was a good way to end the evening.

-8-8-8-8-

It was Election Day and Callie's headquarters had been vandalized. No, more than vandalized. Vandalized was when idiots spray painted hateful words or obscene pictures out front, which was something they dealt with during the campaign, but this was beyond that. The office had been destroyed. Burned. It was like a bonfire gone out of control. Callie shook her head as she and the rest of her group watched the fire department put out the choking blaze until all that was left was a smoking husk, a hollowed out shell.

For a long moment, Callie felt like the smoke and fire burned inside of her. She could feel everything inside of her blacken and shriveled. It all hurt her lungs and her legs shook. She feared she could collapse into herself. Somehow, she managed to stay on her feet as firefighters moved around her, looking like blurs and puffs of smoke. Felina put her healthy arm around Callie's shoulder.

"Bastards!" Blue snarled, punching the air before trying to do more. Katarina and Mara actually had to hold her back. Callie could only wonder who the hell she thought she would go after. But, then again, her being pissed made absolute sense. This was undoubtedly a pack attack of some kind.

"Maybe it was foolish to think I would win this election," Callie sighed, shaking her head. The slight motion made her feel like she might vomit. Or maybe it was smell of melted plastic and metal around her.

"Ma'am, please, don't think this is how everyone voted or will vote," a firefighter said as he moved around the scene. That was promising.

"Come, we'll go to my office and watch the election news," Desi suggested, patting Callie on the shoulder. She barely felt it and she was surprised it did not knock her over.

Callie threw her arms up and paced for a moment. Felina put her arm around Callie's waist again to help calm her down. With a sigh, she allowed Felina to lead her away. They walked not too far to Desi's office building. There were stares, of course, from everyone milling about the place. Desi marched as if they did not matter, going right to the elevator.

"Don't say we should've gone to your office," Desi said as Nia looked around the building lobby.

"The accommodations are so much better," Nia commented as the elevator came.

"Nia, is there anything you don't own that's better than something you do?" Desi countered, pressing the button for his floor.

"No, because if there is, I buy it," Nia replied, as if this was the most logical answer in the world.

Desi rolled his eyes and then led them to his office when the elevator stopped. It reminded Callie of the mayor's office in terms of size. Nia looked around again once there, but did not say anything. She took a seat on a leather sofa and motioned for Mara to sit with her.

"I do hope your taste in blood is better than your taste in couches," Nia remarked, speaking to Desi.

"Nia, you are the world's worst houseguest," Rita said.

"I think after this morning we could all do for a round of blood," Nia replied. "Or at least something stronger than coffee."

No one could argue that. Had the fire at the campaign headquarters happened just ten minutes sooner, they would have all burned to death. Blood would probably do them all some good.

"My brother has the blood. Is he invited?" Desi asked, looking at Callie and Felina.

Callie and Felina glanced at each other. Felina shrugged. Callie was not surprised he was already at least semi-forgiven in Felina's eyes. He had helped them get here, so she would not deny him the right to see if they failed or if they managed the impossible and won. It was also possible Felina was just tired and did not feel up to punishing Hernan away at the moment.

"It's fine," Callie decided. Clearly life was too short to punish Hernan and there were real monsters in the world. He was just confused and repressed. At least he backed off like she requested and did not try to shoot her.

Desi smiled brightly. Of course, as upset as he had been, he had also forgiven his brother. "He'll bring the good stuff." He picked up his phone and, barely five seconds later, Hernan was at the door with a couple of bottles in his hand.

Hernan gave them an awkward smile. "One for now." He held up a stout bottle with a narrow neck. "And one for the victory." He held up a bottle of cream.

"Nia, if you say there's better at your office, I swear to Baast." Desi growled and pointed at her.

Nia only laughed. Desi turned on his television while Hernan poured everyone a drink. Tiger gave out all full glasses. Callie accepted, even though it was barely eight in the morning. It was a five o'clock somewhere, her office had been burned to the ground, and barely a week ago someone shot her mate while trying to kill her. Callie practically gulped the drink and it burned all the way down, but it felt so fulfilling. She hissed.

"Another." Callie shook her empty glass. Hernan wasted no time coming over to give her a refill.

"You sure you wanna do that, kit?" Felina whispered. Callie was actually sitting on her lap, needing her close. She was careful of Felina's wound, of course. "You know what blood does to you and this is rich." Felina looked into her own glass.

"I think I've earned it and you're here in case my clothes fall off," Callie replied. If the day got any more stressful, she might actually shove Felina into the nearest empty room and make some real noise.

Felina sipped her drink. "Yes, but I think I'd enjoy that more without an audience."

Callie laughed. "Sometimes, I'm not so sure." Felina probably would get a kick out of showing everyone how dominating she could be in bed. Hell, she might even get a kick out of people knowing what she was willing to do for Felina. _Okay, maybe I do need to take it easy_.

"Hernan, your stoicism has been missed. Mel needs the competition," Rita remarked, tilting her drink toward both of them.

Mel rolled his eyes. "I need you to shut up."

Rita arched an eyebrow. "That's really the best you could do with all of your fancy degress and honors?"

"Can we just watch the news and enjoy the blood," Nia requested with a sneer.

"Such a buzz kill. Remember when you were fun, Nia?" Rita asked.

"Yes, long before I began babysitting you. Those were the days," Nia replied dryly.

"No, I think you need to get laid," Rita declared with a wink. "Felina, get your pride sister to relax Nia."

Nia sneered. "How crass."

Callie laughed, even though it was quite crass. It was not shocking that Rita would say such a thing, though. Too much blood had already loosened her up enough to laugh at Rita's words, but Callie wanted more nonetheless. Everyone would understand.

With glasses topped off and the banter finally dying down, they all turned their attention to the television as well as a couple of computer monitors. There were dozens of predictions, most in Callie's favor, as they had been over the weeks. Still, there were a couple of stations that seemed to hold onto the hope Steele would somehow pull this one out of his ass. And then they started interviewing people.

"I voted for Mister Steele. You just can't trust a stressful job like running the city, especially Megakat City, to a female," a tomkat said to one reporter.

"This city is out of control and you can't trust someone who used to work for Manx to fix it. She's probably on the take as well."

"A lioness in the mayor's office? Why would I want a pervert in charge?"

Mara snarled. "I wish I had some shrimp."

"You're not throwing shrimp at my monitors," Desi growled and glared at her. "But, food would be good." Tiger got up to move, but Desi waved him off and picked up his phone. "Tiger, I have an assistant who will work for us today. I'm not sure I want to listen to us being insulted the whole day on an empty stomach."

"Us? Sounds like it's me they're talking about," Callie pointed out. None of this sounded promising. Felina hugging her close did not help matters. The attempt at comfort just made it seem like she could lose this one.

"Three idiots. Millions of people have to vote today," Katarina said.

"You're just hoping the city isn't populated with millions of idiots," Felina stated.

Katarina shook her head. "No, I know it's not. If it was, we'd be dead. There'd be more outrage and way more pack attacks on lions and lionesses. They'd find all of our clubs and they'd destroy us. They'd have called for your execution when you jumped in front of that bullet meant for Callie. They have us way outnumbered, after all."

"That logic doesn't actually suck," Tabby remarked and she tilted her glass to her pride sister before draining her drink.

"How many people do you think actually feel this way?" Callie asked.

"We had kats polled throughout this whole process. Don't worry about this," Jinx tried to assure her. If only she could believe him.

Felina rubbed Callie's hip, wanting to make her feel better. Callie curled into her, making sure to be careful of Felina's shoulder again. She took a sip of her blood and tuned out the voices for a moment, just enjoying her drink and feeling Felina breathe.

"I voted for Miss Briggs. She just seemed to know more about her issues and the issues affecting the city than Mister Steele did," a she-kat commented into a camera.

"I'll be honest, I voted for Miss Briggs because she's a female. We've had males run this city into the ground. Maybe a female can do it better," another she-kat said.

"I had to vote for Callie. I mean, I think she's right about lionesses, especially when she's got an Enforcer jumping in front of bullets for her. I mean, who would jump on a gunman for Steele?" There was a scoff.

"That's a good point. Who would jump on a gunman for Steele?" Rita pondered aloud.

"Someone being paid a lot of money," Mel chimed in.

"I think even then, they'd have to think about it. Callie's got someone who does it without thinking," Penny pointed out.

"Felina does most things without thinking," Blue teased.

Felina's pride spent a few minutes ripping into her. It was a good distraction. Breakfast was an even better distraction when it arrived. Callie needed something to soak up the blood she would consume while waiting out the election.

Callie was not sure how this would work out. Yes, kats had good things to say about her, but it seemed like the majority of people would like to see bad things happen to her or did not think she was competent enough to run the city, which was scary in and of itself. People thought she could not run the city, but thought Steele could? Maybe the city was populated with millions of idiots.

Eventually, Desi ordered out for more food. They remained watching. Nia pulled out a laptop with Jinx looking over her shoulder. Callie tried to eat lunch, but the butterflies in her stomach made it impossible. Felina's hand found her stomach and drew circles around her bellybutton. Callie turned to look at her.

"It'll be all right, kitten," Felina whispered, softly kissing her hair.

"How? People are saying I deserved to die and it's okay that you were shot," Callie pointed out.

"I think Katarina's right. Everyone can't be idiots." Or so Felina hoped.

Callie nodded, hoping this was the truth, even though most of the comments they heard throughout the day said otherwise. Before she could voice any other troubles, Felina put a forkful of food to her mouth. She should have been embarrassed by this, but instead, she just took the offering and sighed as roasted chicken hit her tongue. It helped soothe her a little.

"It'll be all right. People aren't that stupid," Felina tried to assure her.

"Just so you know, I took the liberty of making us all dinner reservations to celebrate," Hernan announced.

"Confident, huh?" Felina teased.

Hernan chuckled weakly. "It's very rare I make a bad business decision, especially when my brother backs the play. Besides, you have a lot of business geniuses who backed you. Do you think we're all stupid?"

"Finally, you say something of substance," Nia remarked.

"Okay, what is your deal with them? I really need to know," Mara said, her eyes were bright as if Nia amused her.

"She just likes busting our chops. Her and Richard Leonhart are like that. Have you considered dating Richard?" Desi asked Nia with a raised eyebrow.

Mara noticeably stiffen and it would not have been surprising if she snarled at the suggestion. The others laughed since Desi was quite serious. Had he not figured out that Nia was a lioness? Yes, she had been married, but since the death of her mate, she very much enjoyed female company.

Nia scoffed and waved her hand. "Oh, please. I'd break Richard in half and drive him mad right after."

"I believe that." Desi tipped his glass.

Callie shook her head and was a bit stunned Desi did not understand Nia seemed rather attracted to Mara. Maybe Hernan was not the only Onca brother who was socially awkward. It was not her business, though, so she turned back to the television.

It was late in the afternoon, but the polls would be open until ten at night. She wondered when Hernan made these reservations for. Would he still be willing to spend all of that money when the exotic food and expensive cream would taste like ashes in their mouths from a bitter defeat?

"Who wouldn't you break in half, though, Nia?" Desi commented with a smile.

Felina's entire pride literally looked at Mara. Mara, for her part, seemed quite shy with the attention and tried to duck down. This was a little comical considering how tall she was.

"How does your wife put up with you?" Nia countered, giving Desi bored glance.

"Just like you actually. I bet she's just as annoyed, too," Desi laughed.

With a sigh, Nia shook her head now. Time continued to tick on by. There were more quotes, more harsh words, but also more compliments. Callie was confused, unsure how this might go. Everyone else seemed so confident she would win, but she felt like she guts were in a knot.

"Should we start betting money?" Blue proposed.

"Should you start shutting up?" Katarina countered.

"Seconded!" Felina threw up her good arm.

"The motion has passed. Blue shuts up now," Mara stated.

Blue opened her mouth, about to retort, but she did not get a chance as every screen up had someone announce the election over. The calculations were coming in.

"And, the new mayor of Megakat City is… Calico Briggs!" At that point, Callie was certain she fainted.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: an epilogue.


	13. Together

I don't own these characters.

13: Together

Callie took a breath before she stood before the podium hastily set up in Desi and Hernan's office lobby, which had been empty until press folded the place. She had to give a victory speech, a victory that had come much easier than television had led her to believe. She had gotten almost seventy percent of the vote. Apparently, a majority of the people were not so stupid as to vote for Steele just because they hated her for whatever reason. So, now, she was the first female and open lioness to be mayor of Megakat City and the press awaited her speech.

Even with the election over with her as the victor, Callie still stood, nervous and shocked. She did not understand. It did not make sense. This was the same city that shunned her for being with Felina, had harassed them for the better part of the year, and had grumbled when Felina was able to keep her job after cheering when Callie was fired. Why would they vote for her?

Felina eased over, coming in close. She placed a hand on Callie's back and it seemed like every camera in the place erupted. For a moment, all Callie could see was light and it made her wince. Then, she felt the hand pressed on her back, just above her tail as always. Callie took another breath to steady herself and found her voice, which might have been in the small of her back and gently called to the surface by Felina's strong, supportive fingers.

"The people of Megakat City have spoken and I have to thank them for choosing me to lead this great city," Callie started. "I hope to bring integrity and elegance to this office and usher in a new era for this city. Megakat City has great promise, but this promise should be for everyone in the city, everyone willing to put in the work. I want to put things into place that allows anyone with the desire to rise, the ability to do so. It's time for Megakat City to open itself up to all kats…"

Callie was surprised she made it through her whole speech without fainting again, as she had done when it was announced she won the election. But, she made it. She made history. She was the first female mayor of any major city in the whole colony. Beyond that, she was also the only government official who was an open lioness in possibly the whole world. And, this seemed to be a tipping point for many kats.

As Callie and Felina made their way home, the news kept coming in. Her speech was replayed, but beyond that, there was news of lions and lionesses coming out. Top business-kats, celebrities, and ordinary people admitted aloud, to others, that they were attracted to the same sex and it did not make them monsters.

"You're a hero, Madam Mayor," Felina commented as she opened the apartment door for Callie.

"I'm just a kat trying to do the right thing," Callie answered, but she could not deny the charge of electricity that went through her at being referred to as "Madam Mayor." _Oh, this is going to be useful in a few weeks, I know it_.

"And now you're more than able to do so. What is the first thing you're going to do?" Felina asked.

"Take a shower and crawl into bed with you."

Felina laughed. "Yes, and then what will you do for the city?"

"I'll figure that out tomorrow. For right now, it's been a long day and night and I just want to cuddle in next to you."

"And who am I to deny you?"

Callie smiled at that. At least this surreal day could end on a normal note. Tomorrow, she would pick it up and figure it all out.

-8-8-8-8-

Going into Enforcers' Headquarters was a little different for Felina now that Callie had started her new police force, the Defenders. Almost a quarter of the Enforcers had transferred over to the Defenders. Captain Lidon was now Commander Lidon, the chief of the Defenders. Many of his fellow army kats went with him. Whether it was because they felt they would be more useful there or because they just had enough of hanging out with fly kats, Felina would never know.

The Defenders had hit the ground running, which was Callie's intention and Commander Lidon had been more than happy to oblige. Public spacers were safer than ever before, especially those in poor areas. And, best of all, there was someone out there to help lions and lionesses caught in pack attacks. The police force was visible and definitely took their jobs seriously.

Beyond that, Commander Feral did not take the shortage of personnel as an excuse to allow subpar recruits into the Enforcers' organization like many others pushed for. Instead, he just handled the shortage and also allowed more females onto the force. Among the new females, Felina's friends and former air force pilots. Captain Amelia had convinced them to do stop messing around and join the Enforcers, especially since the system would undoubtedly be less corrupt under Callie's wing.

Felina figured steady employment would suit her pride sisters well. They were a good bunch and noble to a fault, Callie would say anyway. Hell, they passed up on a lot of money from Shere Khan's private company to serve in the Enforcers. They deserved the chance to do what they did best without worrying they would be taken advantage of or that they would be helping the wrong people.

"This place doesn't look half bad," Mara commented, coming to bother Felina at her desk. Mara pulled at the collar of her uniform. It would probably take her a few weeks to get used to it. It was stiffer than their air force uniforms were and the collars were cut differently.

"Right. You're going to get fired if you keep coming to bother me," Felina pointed out, not looking up from the paperwork she needed to get done.

Mara scoffed. "They don't have a pilot good enough to replace me, especially since you only have one arm."

Felina rolled her eyes, even though Mara was a great pilot. Felina had been tempted to request having her pride in her squad, but she knew that would not work. They had always been equals. She would not know how to seriously order them around and they would not know how to accept or follow orders from her. They could take care of themselves, just as she had.

"Don't you have someone else to bug? I'm sure Katarina and Blue need to be bothered." Felina waved Mara away.

"Oh, please. Katarina is so far gone on your little mechanic, I doubt we'll ever see her again."

Felina shook her head. "Katarina is way too old for Felicia." She probably should intervene on that, as her friend dating her subordinate could not be a good idea, but they were adults and Felicia was so cute and giggly around Katarina that it seemed like kicking a kitten to try to keep them apart.

Mara laughed. "Have you told either of them that?"

"They wouldn't listen."

"Well, Katarina wouldn't and she'd probably never speak to you again if she found out you told Felicia that or stood in the way of their little thing."

Felina decided to change the subject because Mara was probably right. Besides, Katarina definitely was gone on Felicia and Felicia was at the very least awed by Katarina. She was not sure if Felicia was a lioness or not, but it seemed like she might try it out for Katarina. Hopefully, it would work out or at the very least, not negatively influence their work. She might actually have to talk to them if things progressed beyond flirting and posturing on Katarina's part.

"How's it going with you and Nia?" Felina asked. She could not believe Nia gave Mara the time of day, but had not done the same for her a few years ago when she was smitten with Nia.

Mara giggled a little, sounding borderline demented. "Nia's not too old for me?"

Felina had to roll her eyes. There were more years between Nia and Mara than there were between Katarina and Felicia. Maybe Felina just felt little more responsible for Felicia than she did for Mara. Besides, she could not judge Mara. Once upon a time, she had sniffed after Nia like a lovesick kit. Age had not mattered.

"You're too annoying for her," Felina decided to say.

"You should worry more about us catching up with you if you're going to keep getting shot. I mean, it's going to take us no time at all to become lieutenants and you'll probably be stuck at captain for a while," Mara teased.

Felina waved that off. She had plans and her squad had plans for her, too. They were so proud to serve under her that they already worked out that one day she would be the first female Commander of the Enforcers. Honestly, with the way she was going, even with all of the sexism in the department, they might be right. They had a way of making her look amazing on missions and the city seemed to have turned a corner on females and lionesses. Or so she hoped, anyway. At the very least, if she kept stepping in front of the bullets to save people, the department would have to promote her just for the publicity.

"You think it's going to be okay?" Mara asked, looking around.

"Of course, I think it will. It'll just be a fight, like everything is, but we'll be fine. We're scrappers," Felina replied. Be it females or lions and lionesses, they were all scrappers and they would fight. Callie winning showed them they could fight back and make it somewhere.

"This is true. So, how's it going with the mayor?"

Felina shrugged. "We're fine and she's loving her job. She's trying to put together all of the programs she promised already."

"Hard at work. Unlike you, eh?" Mara gave her a toothy grin.

Felina groaned and turned her attention back to her paperwork. "Unlike you. I'm assuming you have nothing to do? No reports to turn into your captain?"

Mara frowned and rushed off, obviously she did. Felina turned her attention back to her work. She had to give this her all, even with one arm, since Callie was doing her best.

-8-8-8-8-

Callie had hit the ground running as mayor. It was bit odd to be back in City Hall, especially seeing so many new faces. There were still on going investigations into some, but most of the bad apples had already resigned or had been arrested. Callie would fire the rest soon enough and then hire her own full staff.

For right now, the thing consuming her time was getting the Defenders out on the street. She wanted street crime down as soon as possible. Beyond that, she was working with the colonial government to loan Megakat City some investigators to teach Enforcers and Defenders hand picked by Commander Feral and Commander Lidon to learn proper investigation techniques, so the city could properly handle more complicated crimes, especially of the white-collar variety.

She was also working on an anti-discrimination law. Rita and Mel were helping. They wanted the law to be airtight, so when it was challenged and made it to court, no one would be able to find a loophole. For the moment, she passed an emergency civil rights act. Eventually, it would make it to court and probably get ripped apart, but by then the other law would be in place.

Other than that, she had to put together a real staff. So far, the only person she hired was Tiger as her personal assistant. Captain Amelia and Nia jumped in to help with that. Desi tagged along. She did not want to say it, but she thought Desi and even Hernan were a little attached to Nia. They seemed to follow her around now and were gung-ho with her over a charity they had not even created yet.

She wanted to hire Rita, but she was not sure if Rita would go for it. Rita was quite the successful attorney when she was not wasting all of her time with Callie. She might actually want to go back to law full time when they were done trying to save the city, but she might want to save the city a little longer.

She also offered Tabby a job. Tabby had done an amazing job with the campaign finances. She wanted Tabby to do the same with the city budget, or at the least be a financial advisor. Tabby was not sure if she wanted any government job just yet. This was something to talk over with her pride. Hopefully, they would talk her into taking it, as they had done with Penny over the job Nia offered her.

Then, there was the fact that she and Felina needed to move. She had a protection detail, provided by the colonial government actually, as it would not look good for the first female, lioness mayor to be assassinated. It was easier for them to secure the mayoral mansion of Megakat City than Felina's tiny apartment. So, for the next few years, they would have to live there. Felina's landlord promised to hold the apartment for them, but Callie was not sure she wanted that. Maybe after her stint as mayor, they could buy a house of their own. She would approach this in due time with Felina.

"You called, Madam Mayor?" T-Bone said as he and Razor managed to sneak into the office without her knowledge.

Callie smiled from behind her desk. It was Manx's old desk, but she would get new furnishings soon enough. She had a lot of redecorating to get to, but it could wait. "I suppose I did."

"Congratulations. You know you had our vote," Razor replied with a smile of his own as they stepped closer. He shot her a thumb's up.

"I hope you guys are registered voters and didn't bend the law to vote like you do to fight crime," Callie remarked, folding her arms across her chest and cocking out her hip a little.

T-Bone laughed and held up his hand. "I promise, we're registered voters in real life."

She smirked, but decided to take his word on it. "That's good. I called you guys here, though, because I wanted to make your crusade against crime a little more legal. I doubt I could just offer you a job and you take it because you like to do things by your own rules. I trust you to be responsible about it, especially considering how many times you've saved my life."

Razor took a step closer, taking a moment to look around the massive office. It was a little embarrassing, but there was still so much of Manx's grandeur hanging around, watching her every move. His furniture, his pictures, and his trophies. Everything imported, expensive, and mocking them all with its utter importance. This office still screamed Manx and she needed to do something about that sooner rather than later, even if she did not put her own stamp on the space.

"What do you have in mind, Madam Mayor?" Razor asked as he focused back on her.

Callie took out two badges from the desk drawer and held them. "These make you deputy Enforcers. Just in case Feral decides to jump down your throats, which we all know is what's going to happen. It makes your actions legal when you help take down a bad guy, which plays very well in court. It also makes the city liable for your actions as well, just like we are for the Enforcers. Of course, we tend to pick up the tab for you, anyway." She offered them small, amused smiles as she stepped over to them with the badges in hand. It actually used to depend on what the Swat Kats messed up for the city to pay for it, but that was because Manx was a tightwad with the city budget. He had to save enough money to embezzle or pay off his cronies.

T-Bone and Razor looked at each other. Callie was not sure if they would go for this. She thought the Swat Kats did a necessary service for Megakat City. It would be so much better if they worked for the city, but she knew they would not go for that. This was the best she could do. The city would work _with_ them. She would like to have a better relationship with the Swat Kats. Maybe they would be willing to share some of their toys with the Enforcers and the Defenders.

"Better than always being threatened with arrest," Razor chuckled as he plucked the badge from her grasp. He held it in a firm grip, as if he never wanted to let it go.

T-Bone grinned as he held the badge and looked at it like it meant something she would never be able to understand. "Do we get to wear them when we're out catching crooks?"

"I'm sure you two will use these badges responsibly," Callie replied. Although, she suspected they might use them to pick up females every now and then. Of course, since lots of Enforcers used their badges for the same thing, she could not fault them.

"We'll do our best," T-Bone remarked. They bid her good luck and farewell and disappeared just as quickly and mysteriously as when they appeared.

Once work was done for the day, she made her way to a private car that she had as mayor, not to mention because of the numerous death threats she had already gotten. The car was bulletproof, especially outfitted by Nia. She smiled at the driver, who smiled back, and then they were off. Home was almost a half-hour drive, passed a guard and gates, and up a long driveway.

Felina was in the foyer to meet her. This would be a habit; Callie could just feel it. Whenever Felina did not wait for her after work so they could ride home together, she would be here, waiting. Partially, because Felina already expressed the mansion was too big, too empty with only just them. It had to be worse when it was only just her.

Felina greeted her with a kiss. "How was work, kitten?" She looked a little out of place in the grand house with high ceilings and chandlers. She was in fleece shorts and a torn tank top.

Callie leaned into Felina for a prolonged hug and took a moment to just inhale Felina's clean, strong scent. Felina smelled and felt like home. "Tiring, but a good sort of tiring. You?"

Felina held her tight and rubbed her back. "Same. Although, some annoying mixed in."

Callie smiled, all too aware why Felina thought part of the day was annoying. "Well, that's what happens when you work with your pride."

Felina rolled her eyes, even though it was true enough. Despite all the changes in their lives, one thing remained with them. At the end of the day, they cuddled on the couch with the television playing. Felina watched boxing while Callie worked a little and watched a little. They had takeout for dinner.

Felina wrapped Callie in her arms and Callie rested her head on her chest. They had so much ahead of them, but they had come so far. Callie felt like she could take on the world as long as Felina kept her arms around her.

"I love you." Callie kissed Felina.

"I love you, too."

-8-8-8-8-

The end.

I hope you all enjoyed this series. I had a good time writing it. Maybe if some other ideas hit me, I'll be back to play in this universe. For now, thank you all for reading. If you liked this, please, check out some of my other works. Also, maybe check out my books on Amazon under the name S. L. Kassidy. For now, I'm returning to my padded room. Hopefully, I'll be back and so will you. Thanks again. I appreciate the support.

A/N: just to amuse myself, I'm going to tell you who many of the bit player kats are based on.

Penny/Penelope: Penelope the cat from Looney Tunes; the cat always harassed by Pepe le Pew.

Mel Cabot: based on Bagheera from Disney's The Jungle Book (the animated one).

Rita Runt: based on Rita the cat from cartoon the Animaniacs.

Tawnia "Nia" Dilan: based on Sarabi (Simba's mother) from the Lion King.

Van Jinx: named after Mister Jinx from Pixie and Dixie, but based loosely on Top Cat.

Captain Amelia Thompson: pretty much Captain Amelia from Disney's Treasure Planet.

Captain Diego Lidon: based heavily on Diego from the Ice Age series.

Honorable mentions: Richard Leonhart is King Richard from Disney's Robin Hood, his brother John is Prince John from Disney's Robin Hood, Shere Khan is from Disney's Jungle Book and the show Tail Spin, Sabor (in _Spotted_ ) is from Disney's Tarzan, Judge Kimba (in _Spotted_ ) is Kimba the White Lion, Duchess and Thomas O'Malley (mentioned in _Spotted_ ) are from Disney's Aristocats.


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